The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore
by TeamComrade11
Summary: Amelia Whitmore knew that Damon Salvatore was bad news. Her friends told her, her family told her - hell, even her teacher told her! But there was just something about him that drew her to him like a moth to flame. Between learning the rules of being a witch and developing complex relationships throughout Mystic Falls, it was a wonder she even had time for high school anymore!
1. Prologue

Prologue

The crackling of the fireplace the deep voice of a father, and the giggles of a young girl were the only sounds interrupting the otherwise quiet Christmas Eve night. Amy knew that she was the luckiest girl in the world to have her father staying up late, reading bedtime stories to her. Had her mother not been working the night shift, she would have been in bed hours ago.

When Amy finally fell asleep snuggled up to her father, Michael Whitmore, he carried her upstairs to her bedroom, tucked her in and placed a kiss on her forehead before sneaking back downstairs to place all of her gifts from Santa under the tree. Amy was in a deep sleep for an hour or two before she was awakened by a loud thump from downstairs. This was quickly followed by voices and several more loud thuds. Her immediate thought was: _SANTA! _And like any eight year old child would do, she squirmed her way out of bed and tiptoed as quietly as she could manage through her excitement to the stairs. She peered through the rails of the banister, anxious to see all of the gifts Santa would be bringing her. However, the whimpers coming from below startled her. Surely, the pony she had been hoping to receive wouldn't make noises like that?

"It's nothing personal," Mocked an unfamiliar voice that managed to sound both friendly and frightening at the same time, "Just fulfilling a promise I made to myself a long time ago."

"Daddy?" The young girl came around the corner and froze in her tracks. Her daddy was groaning on the floor and a strange man was standing near him. She noticed that red stuff was coming from his nose and there was also a pool of it on the floor. Had her daddy spilled his fruit punch? Mommy would not be happy to see that stain on the floor.

In a flash, the man was standing in front of her and she felt like she needed to run as far away from him as possible.

He looked into her eyes and commanded, "Don't scream," She was mesmerized by the light blue eyes that were just a few shades lighter than her own. Why would she want to scream?

Black veins appeared under his eyes and he bared his fangs before burying his teeth into her neck. The young girl was crying and Mr. Whitmore was screaming, pleading, _begging,_ for him to stop – to kill him instead. After a short pause, he released the girl to oblige the man's wish but was suddenly distracted by the girl sobbing and stumbling backwards a few steps before falling on her rear end.

"Ssshh, Sshh, stop crying. It's okay. Come here." The girl's hesitation was brief, but she couldn't resist his compulsion. She made her way slowly towards him feeling woozy, but it was okay and that she should stop crying.

"I'm sorry someone was mean to you."

"What?" The man froze.

"My mommy always says that people only do mean things because someone was mean to them first and that we should always be nice to people so I'm sorry someone was mean to you." Amy said sincerely as her father continued to sob from behind them. She wished that she could go comfort him but it was clear that this man needed comforting as well.

The man closed his eyes and he felt a genuine sadness echoing through his chest and a lump formed in the back of his throat. Then, he opened his eyes, "What's your name?"

"Amy. You're not Santa Clause are you? Because my mommy said that Santa Clause is old and fat with a white beard, but you're not old and fat with a white beard." She inquired. Maybe he was an elf, but he looked too tall for that.

The man placed his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes, "You never saw me here. All you remember is being attacked by an animal."

"I never saw you. All I remember is being attacked by an animal."

"You will miss your father but you'll move on with your life."

"I'll move on."

"You're not going to die… not tonight."

She smiled, "I'm not gonna die tonight."

"Now go to sleep."

Instantly, Amy fell to the ground in a deep slumber.

"Thank y-", Mr. Whitmore sobbed.

And then Damon Salvatore tore him apart.

When Amy woke up, her neck really hurt and there was a lot of red, sticky stuff on the floor. She saw her daddy's arm behind the couch and she giggled. Had her daddy fallen asleep on the floor? How silly of him! She ran around the sofa, ready to surprise him when she stopped and realized that something was really, really, wrong. She tried to scream but realized that she was unable to. Scattered about on the floor were chunks of flesh and blood, a hand here, a foot there, a red, squishy, ball that she recognized as a heart from her science class, and lastly her eyes trailed to her father's head – the empty, unseeing eyes frozen in an expression of horror.


	2. Chapter 1: Enchantments

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore **

**Chapter One: Enchantments**

**May 23, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore was about ready to slam her spell book shut and hit her mentor, Sheila Bennet, in the back of the head with it. Based on Sheila's grimace, she had a pretty good idea what Amelia was daydreaming about. "Look, Sheila, I just can't do it, okay?! I guess I wasn't meant to do any of this stuff." Amelia turned her head and hid under a shield of blonde hair to hide the traitorous moisture in her eyes. She couldn't even do a simple tracking spell correctly. This was so like her to mess everything up like usual.

"Hush, child, it's all in that pretty head of yours! Now, go get some water and take a breath. I _know_ you can do this." The elderly dark-skinned woman encouraged.

Amelia sniffed and did as she suggested. As she drank her ice water she fingered the dragon's breath opal talisman around her neck. It was passed down to her when her mother died and she never took it off. Amelia sighed, "I wish you were here, Mom," she muttered. As much as she loved Sheila, it just wasn't the same as having her own flesh and blood mother there to teach her spells and comfort her when she was upset or frustrated. With another disheartened sigh, she dragged herself back to the living room.

Sheila handed her the knife. "Now stop your pouting and perform this tracking spell. I'd like to find out if my granddaughter lied to me."

Amelia stayed silent as she gingerly took her elder's hand. She slid the knife across Sheila's palm and was not surprised that Sheila showed no sign of pain. Carefully, she let a few drops fall onto the map before handing Sheila a towel. Closing her eyes, she began muttering the incantation that she had long ago been forced to memorize. "Phasmatos tribum nas ex veras, sequita saguines, ementes asten mihan ega petous." Amelia glanced down at the map and saw that nothing had changed. "Dammit," She muttered under her breath, ignoring the dirty look that Sheila shot her way. This time she tried to concentrate as hard as she could. She visualized Bonnie Bennet's facial features, and her pretty black hair. Her happy smile and her bubbly personality. She started to utter the words vigorously and her voice rose in volume. She could feel the magic rising up in her. She could practically taste it. Her voice only grew louder as she felt blood begin to trickle down over her lips.

Finally, panting, she glanced down again and noticed that the blood had indeed moved to the exact location of the bonfire party that she had told her grams she wouldn't go to. A harsh laugh burst out of Amelia's lips. Sheila groaned, "Oh, Amelia, won't you please go and pick her up? I have the worst vibe… You know what, I should go with you-."

"No, no, no! It's fine. I'll pick her up and bring her back here - it's no trouble really." Amelia assured as she wiped away the blood with a tissue. She was feeling very tired, but nothing she couldn't handle. Anything she could do to help Sheila out, even if it was something small like this. She would never be able to repay Sheila for taking her in when she was just a child.

"Alright, but you be safe 'Melia, you hear? And call me if you need anything."

"Of course," Amelia shot her a reassuring smile before grabbing the keys to her old beat up pick up truck. She had worked part time at Mystic Falls Vet Clinic for a whole year before she could afford the truck, but it had been well worth it. Besides, she loved her job anyway.

It was a short ride to the party. She was only able to get through three songs of her favorite Nirvana album before she arrived. Amelia hadn't allowed herself to feel her anxiousness at being at a party until now. This was _so_ not her scene. She had hardly gotten out of the car when she noticed a guy laying in the middle of the road. Amelia groaned - some guy must have had way too much to drink and passed out. Amelia hated awkward encounters with strangers, but she would never forgive herself if she just let this dumb ass get run over.

When she was about ten feet from him she called out, "Hey, idiot! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

To her surprise, he turned his head and looked at her with the iciest blue eyes she had ever seen. He had dark hair and was strikingly handsome. For some reason, she felt like this was not the first time she had met him. She quickly shook the thought from her mind though - that would be ridiculous! The man smirked at her and gracefully rose to his feet. Amelia put her guard up when be began striding carelessly over to her.

"Just stargazing. It's a beautiful night." Even his voice was attractive.

"In the middle of the road? That's a little reckless." Amelia's voice was skeptical, and rightly-so.

"What can I say? I guess I'm a daredevil." He reached his hand out for her to shake. "I'm Damon-," She suddenly froze, their hands intertwined. Amelia's eyes widened in shock as she felt an empty feeling engulf her. She saw images of Elena Gilbert dressed in some ancient dress with blood all over her face. She saw images of this man, Damon, with someone who appeared to be possibly a brother. A middle-aged man shooting the brothers, and a dying plea, "Father,". There was so much blood and hate and sorrow. She saw images of torture, sex, violence, love, partying, alcohol, and self-torment. She felt like she understood this man. But she was so confused. What did this mean? Sheila had warned of vampires and Damon was obviously one of them. Why wasn't she afraid of him? What was wrong with her?

At the same time, Damon Salvatore froze. He noticed the fire opal talisman around her neck and immediately recognized her as Amelia Whitmore. The girl who's father he had killed almost ten years prior. A descendent of his tormentors. The daughter of a powerful Deveraux witch. He could physically feel her confusion and empathy pouring into him. What the hell was going on!? He jumped back away from her and veins appeared under his eyes.

Amelia inhaled sharply in surprise. But she was still terribly confused… Why wasn't she scared? Why didn't she run, or scream, or do _something_?

"What did you do, you _stupid witch_!?" And with that, he bared his teeth and sunk them into her neck for the second time in her life. Her blood tasted exquisite, but he couldn't even enjoy it. He literally felt her pain and anxiety. It wasn't like normal, where he enjoyed his prey's fear. This just felt… _wrong_. Before he could contemplate it any longer his brain suddenly exploded into bursts of pain. He fell to his knees and groaned. It had been _many_ years since he had experienced something like this. "Stop! Stop!"

"W-why did you do that?" Amelia's voice trembled. She was still woozy from performing that locator spell, and now she was beginning to feel faint even from even more blood loss and the energy expended from her most recent aneurysm spell. "I-I don't understand. Something's not right-," She began backing up, starting to realize that he could kill her at any time now. "Please just let me go." She could have kicked herself - why hadn't she memorized more spells?

She was confused when he bit into the flesh of his forearm. Suddenly his arm was pressed to her mouth and she was choking down his blood. She felt pure panic - was he going to turn her?! Just as sudden as his arm was there, it was gone again and she felt fabric cleaning off her neck and her mouth. She reached for her wound in shock, only to realize that it had healed. It was almost if it were never there. Before she could comprehend what was happening, she felt him rip off her talisman. She was confused when he gripped her arms and stared into her eyes. "I want you to forget that this happened. Can't have people knowing I'm in town yet."

She smiled, "Okay," and began walking in the direction of the party.

"Excuse me, Miss!" Amelia turned around to see a handsome, dark haired stranger walking towards her. "I think you dropped this." In his hand was her mother's talisman.

"Oh, my gosh! Thank you so much!" _If only he knew how much the necklace meant to her, _she thought ironically.

Damon Salvatore smiled and put the necklace on her thinking about how easy it would be for him to just snap her pretty little neck… _Oh well, I can always kill her tomorrow, _he thought.

Amelia walked towards the party with anxiety and adrenaline coursing through her. She was confused as to why she felt so keyed up, it was just some dumb party. She was surprised that she actually liked the song that was playing - an easy tune that was on the pop station all the time lately. After searching for about five minutes, she finally found Bonnie. She was dancing with someone from their english class last year, but she couldn't remember her name.

"So, how's studying with Caroline going?" Amelia asked sarcastically.

"Amelia! Wow - you're at a party? Let me guess? Grams sent you." Bonnie groaned.

Amelia nodded apologetically, "Sorry, Bon, you know how she gets with her 'vibes'." Amelia knew perfectly well Sheila was probably right, but she had to get Bonnie to come with her somehow.

"Ugh, fine. At least I'll be the only one without a hangover tomorrow!" She linked arms with Amelia and tipsily tried to dance while Amelia led her to her truck. She had to help her up into that cab - it was not something she could manage in her impaired state, especially with heels on. After Amelia shut the door, she thought she heard movement in the forest and she paused for a moment. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she hurried to the drivers seat, paranoid, and clutching her necklace for comfort. Once she was inside she locked the doors, breathed a sigh of relief, and shook her head in annoyance at herself.


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome to Mystic Falls

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Mystic Falls**

**September 7, 2009**

Liz Forbes was currently trying to pack a lunch and put on her uniform at the same time.

"Here, Liz, I already packed you one." A small voice said handing Liz a paper bag.

Liz sighed in relief, "Oh, thank you, Melia! Have a great first day back to school!" She shouted practically running out the door.

Amelia laughed. Liz was almost always busy and she _always_ was running late in the morning. "Caroline," she yelled down the hall, "Breakfast is ready!" Sensing Liz's adrenaline was starting to make her paranoid about being late, too.

Caroline shrieked, "Lia! You know I'm on a diet!"

Amelia chuckled, "Care, I made smoothies and boiled eggs, it's healthy I swear." Caroline finally emerged from the bathroom that she had spent the last hour and a half in. "You don't need to be on a diet anyway, Care, you already look like a supermodel."

Caroline huffed, obviously annoyed, "Not all of us eat like a bird like you do." Amelia decided it was best to just let the topic slide. "C'mon, I'm going to be late for my Student Council meeting." Amelia had accepted a long time ago that living with Caroline meant arriving at school early nearly every day. That was, until she got her license and her own vehicle, anyway. Caroline grabbed her cute, girly bag and swished her hair as she made her way to the car. Amelia felt a twinge in her chest. She wished she was as pretty as Caroline.

Normally, Amelia would take her truck to school. Unfortunately, it was in the shop right now, so she had to ride with her foster sister. Technically, Caroline was her cousin through marriage. However, she thought of her as more of a sister. After all, she had lived with her for about 6 years. Liz had been nice enough to take her in and raise her as her own when her last remaining relative, her mother, had died when she was 11. She felt so grateful to be raised by such powerful women as her guardian, Liz, and her mentor, Sheila Bennet.

The car ride was filled with Caroline's non-stop chatter as usual. She was chatting about how excited she was for the first day back to school and her plans for the cheer squad this year. Amelia was just trying to force herself not to rip the pine air freshener off the mirror and toss it out the window. Amelia had always hated Christmas. She hated the mistletoe, and the tacky decorations. The crappy music that everyone would hum for weeks on end. The decorated tree and the evergreen scent that perpetually inhabited her nostrils. Everything reminded her of painful memories. There was no escape. She stared out the window with images of blood and carnage passing through her mind and a pounding heartbeat.

"AMELIA!" Caroline yelled in her ear.

"AH! What, Caroline?!" Amelia yelled back just as loudly after she had nearly jumped out of her seat.

Caroline glared at her, "Fine, sit in the car all day, see if I care!" She yelled slamming the door shut and strutting into Mystic Falls High School. Amelia's shoulders and neck were tense and she felt Caroline's anger in her own body. Only then did Amelia realize that the vehicle had stopped. She groaned - there would be hell to pay from Caroline later. With a reluctant sigh, she tucked her long hair behind her ears, grabbed her backpack, and headed for the music room. Liz didn't have a piano at her house so the only time she would practice was at school. Amelia had to take calming breaths to try to get the anger to leave her body.

Amelia started with a few warmups and led into that tricky song that she was trying to get the hang of. She quickly grew frustrated, slamming her hands down on the keys producing a terrible sound. It seemed she hadn't quite been able to rid herself of that anger yet.

"What'd the piano ever do to you?" A voice from behind her asked. Amelia spun around with a beating heart and sweaty palms. She hadn't heard anyone come in. A terribly attractive man stood leaning against the wall. He had dark hair and icy blue eyes that seemed familiar somehow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know anybody else was in here. Did you want the piano? I can leave-,"

"No, no! I was just dropping my little brother off at school when I heard you playing and I just couldn't help myself." He said with a smirk. "We're sort of new to town - I hope he'll be welcomed."

Amelia gave him a small smile, "I'm sure he'll fit right in. Oh, how rude of me! I'm Amelia Whitmore. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, don't worry, I know _exactly_ who you are." Amelia must've looked confused. "Your sister told me all about you." For some unfathomable reason, Amelia felt a trickle of fear slide down her spine. "Was that Chopin you were playing?" He asked moving closer towards her.

"Erm, yes actually. Chopin's Nocturne Opus 9 Number 2. I've been playing for years, but for some reason I keep getting stumped on the transition to the third verse. You know Chopin?"

"Of course, I mean he's only one of the most influential pianists, _ever_."

"I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, "It's just that most of the people I know don't really know music."

"Well, I'm not most people." He winked at her.

Amelia stared at him awkwardly, painfully aware of the heat she felt in her cheeks. She was unsure of what to say. He was so handsome and charming and it left her tongue-tied. There was also a sense of unease she got from him.

"I'd be happy to help you with it. I've been playing for, well, centuries it feels like." Damon said chuckling to himself, as if he knew some joke that she didn't.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure you're busy…" She trailed off, unsure how to turn him down politely. Being near him was making her hair stand on end, but at the same time, she was intrigued by him.

Thankfully, the bell rang just then.

Damon Salvatore leaned towards her and kissed her hand. "You'd better head to class. It was nice seeing you again, Amy." Amelia blinked and then he was gone. _Again_? She had just met him. Amelia hadn't even had time to tell him to _never_ call her Amy. And how had he left so quickly? Unfortunately, she didn't have time to sit there and ponder because she would be late. It was only then that Amelia realized he had never mentioned his name.

_What a strange morning_, Amelia thought to herself as she hurried to class. She cursed herself for losing track of time. She'd have to catch up with her friends at lunch. She nervously smoothed her blue blouse, fiddled with her talisman, and slid into her chair just as the late bell rang. Mr. Tanner glared at her and she hid behind her hair. Once he started calling out attendance, she smiled at her friends and gave them silent looks saying, _talk later._ She noticed Elena and Bonnie kept staring at a handsome guy that she had never seen before. She thought to herself, _was this that strange man's brother?_ Bonnie and Elena were texting, not very discreetly, to each other. Amelia also noticed that Matt kept staring at Elena sadly. She hoped that he would move on quickly, or else it'd be a very awkward school year. Immediately, Amelia felt awful for thinking that. Matt had always been a great guy. She wasn't as close to him as she was to Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena, but she was still friends with him. Amelia saw Caroline looking at her and she gave her an apologetic glance; however, she glared at her, huffed, and turned away. Amelia sighed. Care could be so dramatic sometimes.

History certainly wasn't her favorite subject, but she tried to pay attention, anyway. She knew that if she wanted to go to college, she'd have to get a scholarship, and in order to get a scholarship, she'd have to have stellar grades.

Before she knew it, the bell rang and the class poured out into the hallway. Bonnie squealed in her ear and she threw her arms around her.

"Oh, my gosh, Lia, you look so pretty! Are you actually wearing makeup?" Bonnie asked, surprised.

"Thanks, Bon. You and Elena both look great as well. And, yeah, Care talked me into it." Amelia said, embarrassed. She turned to Elena. She felt bad for her. She hated how other people had acted around her when her father, and then her mother, died. "Wow, Elena, your hair's gotten so long over the summer! I bet all the boys will be after you." She gave her a reassuring smile. She wondered if Elena was counting all of the apology's she had probably received today due to the loss of her parents.

Elena gave her a grateful smile, and Bonnie piped in before she could say anything, "Oh, my gosh, Lia have you seen that new hottie, Stefan? He was staring at Elena all first period!"

"Yeah, Bon, I saw him, and I also saw you and Elena texting all period! I can't believe you didn't get detention." Amelia said in disbelief.

"Oh, lighten up, Lia!" Both Elena and Bonnie replied, chuckling before the trio headed off to english class.

Amelia finally made up with Caroline, but only because she promised to go The Grill with her and Bonnie after school. She wasn't too excited about it, but she followed her into The Grill anyway. "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up to the old Salvatore Boarding House. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid - military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue." Caroline turned around with a triumphant look on her face. Immediately, Amelia suppressed a groan. There was going to be trouble if both her and Elena liked Stefan.

"Do you know if he has a brother?" Amelia piped in.

"Not that I know of, why?" Care asked.

"No reason," Amelia said quickly.

"You got all of that in one day." Bonnie stated, disbelieving.

"Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period." Caroline bragged, making a gesture with her hand. "We're planning a June wedding." She said dreamily, walking away from her and Bonnie while the pair exchanged exasperated looks. Exasperatedly, they followed her to the table where Matt was sitting. Amelia hoped they weren't there for too long, she already had a lot of studying to do, plus Sheila had assigned a lot of spells for her to study that night.

"Hey Matt! It's great to see you." She smiled at him.

"Yeah, you too, Lia." He said quickly, "Hey, Bonnie, how's Elena doing?" Amelia tried not to be offended. Instead, she pulled out one of her school books and tried to get a head start on the reading requirement.

"Her mom and dad died - how do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months." Bonnie replied.

"Has she said anything about me?" He asked.

"Oh no!" She protested, "So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her."

"I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me." Matt pleaded with her.

"Give it more time, Matt." Bonnie instructed. Amelia was glad he asked Bonnie and not her - she did not want to get in the middle of that.

And in the worst timing ever, Stefan and Elena walked in together.

"More time, huh?" Matt replied sadly before walking towards Stefan. Amelia noticed that Tyler Lockwood - a handsome football player that she had been friends with before he turned into a mega jerk- and Caroline were also staring at Elena and Stefan. _Oh boy_, she thought, _here we go…_

"Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you." He said, shaking Stefan's hand.

"Hi, Stefan." Stefan said, returning his handshake.

Matt looked at Elena, "Hey," she smiled at him.

"Hey," Matt replied, somewhat dejectedly before heading towards Tyler. _Well, that was awkward… _Amelia thought. She didn't have much time to linger on that though as Bonnie called over Elena and Stefan. Caroline also made a beeline to the table. After all of the introductions were done, Caroline and Amelia had officially met Stefan. Amelia noticed that Stefan seemed to be staring at her necklace, and she got a bit of a strange vibe from him.

"Oh, my gosh, Lia! The first day of school _just_ ended and you're already doing homework?" Caroline said exasperatedly.

Amelia just raised her eyebrows at her and didn't reply before returning back to the book. Whatever she said wouldn't satisfy her anyway. Caroline huffed and turned back to Stefan, "So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline probed, eager to have his attention on her.

"Mhm, and, uh, moved when I was still young." Stefan agreed. He didn't seem to like all of the attention on him.

"Parents?" Bonnie questioned.

"My parents passed away." Stefan stated very matter of factly.

There was a bit of a pause before Elena gently said, "I'm sorry."

Stefan simply nodded before Elena asked, "Any siblings?" Amelia flicked her eyes up to him, trying not to seem obvious.

"None that I talk to." Stefan gave a small smile. Bonnie gave Amelia a pointed look as if to answer her earlier question. Amelia was a little disappointed - after all, how many new kids were there in Mystic Falls? "I live with my uncle." Stefan continued, "But, uh, enough about me, what about you, Amelia? Is your family from the area?"

Amelia hated talking about her family. "Well, um, my father was originally from McKinley, out where Whitmore College is. And, uh, my mother was from the New Orleans area." She said, uncomfortably, "But, Caroline and I are cousins, and I live with her and her mother. We're basically like sisters." She smiled at Caroline.

"So, uh, New Orleans, huh? That must be where you got your necklace?" Stefan inquired.

"Oh, um, yes actually. It was an heirloom from my mother. How'd you know?" She asked, somewhat paranoid, fingering the opal. Her mentor, Sheila, had always told her to keep quiet about her talisman and to never take it off. Every time Amelia asked about it, Sheila told her she would tell her when she was ready.

"Oh, just the style is all." Stefan said quickly.

Caroline decided to jump into the conversation, "It was _so_ nice of my mom to take in Lia, and it's been pretty great since I got a sister out of it! I mean she literally had _no where else to go_. Her dad was attacked by an animal when she was little, and a few years later, her mom killed herself! Isn't that just awful?" Caroline paused her tirade to point her hand at her head like a gun and make a gun shot sound. Amelia felt her face heat up in disbelief and anger and embarrassment. "But, I mean, I guess you, Elena, and Lia have something in common!" She said as if she was starting to realize maybe what she had said was not okay and she was trying to turn it positive.

"Care…" Bonnie trailed off in astonishment. Amelia could feel the shock of everyone in the group and it only intensified her own feelings swirling around in her chest. Amelia tried to relax her tense shoulders and unclench her jaw.

Stefan turned to her apologetically, "I'm sorry for your loss. I know the pain stays with you no longer how many years have passed."

"Thank you." She muttered quietly and stared down at her book unseeingly.

"So, Stefan, if you're new than you don't know about the party tomorrow." Caroline hinted with elbows on the table and her chin resting on her intertwined hands. It seemed to Amelia as if she were trying to change the subject.

"It's a back to school thing at the Falls." Bonnie added.

Stefan looked very pointedly at Elena and asked, "Are you going?"

Before Elena could reply, Bonnie insisted, "Of course she is!"

Elena gave Bonnie an embarrassed glance before looking at Stefan shyly and tucking her hair behind her ear. Amelia knew you'd have to be a fool not to realize they liked each other. Amelia felt conflicted. She was happy for something good to happen to Elena, but she also felt bad for her sister who would be quite upset over the whole situation. Elena and Stefan exchanged a long look, before Caroline huffed and decided that she and Amelia had to head home early to work on homework.

Thankfully, nobody seemed to catch on that Caroline was peeved besides Amelia. On the car ride home Amelia dutifully listened to Caroline rant and complain and put in a sympathetic but neutral response when needed. Amelia was still irritated about Caroline's comment in The Grill about her parents, but she also understood that sometimes Care said stupid things that she didn't mean so she decided not to mention it this time.

Amelia was grateful when she finally stepped into her bedroom and closed the door. She breathed a sigh of relief. She was finally alone. It wasn't that Amelia didn't like people - it was just that she expended so much energy interacting with them. She had a hard time understanding it herself. She liked to be alone - but not so much that she felt lonely. When she saw her alarm clock, she groaned. It was already nine o' clock. She did some chores and fed her cat before completing her homework and studying ahead a few chapters. She also had spells to study. After all, "With great power, comes great responsibility," Or, so Sheila had always told her.

"Great responsibility my ass," She muttered under her breath with irritation. For some reason or other, Amelia's powers had made themselves known a bit earlier than Bonnie's. Sheila asked Amelia to keep magic a secret from Bonnie, and Amelia respected that request. However, Amelia couldn't wait until the day that she could practice with Bonnie and have someone other than Sheila to talk to about it. Sheila had always told her that their magic and Amelia's magic was a bit different, but she never got into much detail. All she would say vaguely was that Amelia's line of magic was more in tune with human emotion and intuition while the Bennet line was more in tune with nature. Sheila had reassured her since she was small that there was nothing wrong with being different; however, Amelia still wondered how much Sheila knew that she hadn't told her.

With an exhausted sigh, Amelia put away her copy of her mother's Devereaux spell book, and fell asleep.

The next day, Amelia woke up dazed and confused to her phone ringing until she realized it was the garage calling her to tell her she could come pick up her truck. She thanked them profusely and hurried to get herself and Liz ready so she could drop her off at the garage on her way to work. She just barely made it to school on time with her savings account a bit lighter and her thoughts in a swirl, but she made it to history class by the knick of her teeth. Again, Mr. Tanner glared at her, but she knew he wouldn't fault her too much because she was one of his best students. Instead of shyly hiding behind her hair this morning, she gave him a bright smile and a chipper, "Good morning." She sensed his mild irritation, but she decided she didn't care.

"The Battle of Willow Creek, took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls." He began lecturing, "How many casualties resulted in this battle?"

_Shoot…_ Amelia thought. She remembered reading about it in her assignment last night but she couldn't remember the exact number. She needed to take better notes, she decided.

"Miss Bennet?" He asked.

"Um, a lot?" She shrugged resulting in a few chuckles across the classroom. "I'm not sure, like, a whole lot."

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Miss Bennet." Mr. Tanner mocked. It irritated Amelia that he was picking on her, but she also knew that her friends didn't care about school as much as she did.

"Ms. Whitmore! Surely you can answer my question?" Mr. Tanner inquired.

Amelia groaned internally. Of course he had to ask her… "350?" She tried to remember.

"Is that a guess, Miss Whitmore, or a statement?" He jeered.

"Approximately 350 casualties, Sir, and that's a statement." She said clearly.

"Hm… close, but not quite. Mr. Donovan… Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?"

"It's okay, Mr. Tanner. I'm cool with it." Matt said smartly. Many chuckles arose from the classroom this time.

"Hm. Elena? Surely you can enlighten us of one of the towns significantly historical events?"

"I'm sorry I-I don't know." Elena shook her head.

"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena, but the personal excuses ended with summer break." He quietly stated.

"346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians." Stefan chimed in clearly from the back.

"That is correct," Mr. Tanner nodded. It almost looked like he was impressed, "Mr?"

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore," He repeated, "Any relation to the original settlers here in Mystic Falls?" He asked making a vague hand gesture around the room.

Stefan nodded and seemed to think about his answer, before replying, "Distant." It seemed to Amelia that Stefan was always guarded in his answers and his feelings.

"Very good," Mr. Tanner started, "Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." He turned around to start lecturing on another topic.

Stefan interrupted, "Actually there were, um, 27, Sir. Confederate soldiers - they fired on the church, believing them to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss." Tanner stood there for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say. "The founders archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner." Disbelieving looks flew across the classroom and even Amelia had a small smile on her face. So, it seemed that Stefan was brawn _and_ brains.

The rest of the day flew by quickly with talk of Stefan being the hero that made Mr. Tanner out to be a fool. Amelia used her lunch break to duck into the music room and practice some more Chopin. She felt like she was so close in mastering the song, but she was still getting hung up on the transitions and it frustrated her to no end. She was almost glad that she had an excuse to stop playing when the bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. She had also been trying to avoid her friends that day. She really needed to get over to Sheila's and do some more practicing, but she knew they wanted her to go to the party. Amelia figured that if she hardly saw them, they wouldn't be able to drag her there. So long as she could make it to her truck before Caroline got to her that evening… Amelia decided to send a quick text to Sheila just in case letting her know that she was probably going to get dragged out with the girls tonight but she would be over ASAP this week and that she would watch over them.

Unsurprisingly, the girls managed to convince her to go, even though parties weren't really her "scene". The four of them got ready together at Caroline's. Caroline convinced her to wear a pair of cut off jean shorts and a fairly low cut pink blouse. At first, she objected saying the shirt was too low, but even Elena said that it was by no means trashy. Caroline even convinced her to wear her only push up bra. Bonnie picked out a perfect shade of pink polish and did her finger and toenails for her. Elena curled her hair and by the end of the torture, she felt so grateful to have such great friends. Amelia knew that if they didn't push her to be social, she would stay locked up inside all day.

Amelia knew that she was in no way as much of a help as Caroline was when it came to being girly, but she tried to contribute as well with the fashion choices and painting nails.

"Amelia, come here and have a seat in front of the mirror - I'm doing your make up!" Caroline insisted. Amelia didn't even have the will to resist. Besides, it was nice to get all dolled up sometimes.

"Fine, but not too much, okay? I don't want to look like a barbie." Amelia instructed.

"Fine, but would you please take off that ugly necklace? It really clashes with your shirt." Caroline pointed out.

"No, Care, you know I got it from my mom. It's really important to me." She insisted. Sheila's command echoed through her mind: _Never take off your talisman! _Caroline huffed, but she didn't say anything else about it.

After what seemed like forever to Amelia, Caroline finally finished with her.

"Ta da!" Caroline exclaimed wheeling the chair Amelia was sitting in to face the other girls.

"Oh, wow." They both said together.

Amelia instantly felt her neck and face get warm, "Do I really look that bad?" She asked, embarrassed by their reaction.

"No, no!" Elena said quickly, "You just look really pretty, I swear." She smiled at her and Bonnie reassured her as well.

"Oh… Thanks for all your help tonight, guys, I really appreciate it." Amelia admitted, "I know I'm not a social butterfly by any means, but I appreciate you guys getting me out of the house."

Finally, they were ready to arrive fashionably late to the party. Once they were there, Caroline flitted off doing her thing. Amelia hung around Bonnie and Elena quietly, feeling a bit overwhelmed from all of the emotions. She took a deep breath a tried to build up a mental barrier like Sheila had taught her, but she wasn't great at it and she could only manage to dull the roar slightly. Amelia listened to Bonnie and Elena discuss Stefan while she sipped her beer - which tasted gross, by the way.

"Well, where is he?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the psychic one." Elena replied. Amelia was take a back. Psychic? Did Bonnie know? Why hadn't Sheila said anything to her?

"Right, I forgot!" Bonnie said excitedly. "Okay, so, give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate." Bonnie closed her eyes and Amelia looked at her worriedly.

"Wait! You need a crystal ball!" Elena decided and turned around searching for something before handing Bonnie a beer bottle. "Uhh… Ta da!"

When their hands touched Bonnies eyes grew wide and flew up to meet Elena's. Amelia could physically feel the same unease Bonnie was feeling. Suddenly, a foggy image of a crow and a man popped into her head

"What?" Elena asked, weirded out.

"Woah, that was weird. I touched you and I saw a crow." Bonnie stated. Amelia felt her whole body grow cold. Was this normal?

"What?" Both Amelia and Elena said at the same time.

"A crow… There was fog… A man… I'm drunk! It's the drinking. Their's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Okay. I'm gonna get a refill." Bonnie babbled before walking away.

"Okay… Bonnie!" Elena called after her. Amelia felt a presence near her and she turned around to see Stefan standing there. She had an ominous feeling when she was around him.

"Hi," Stefan said.

Elena chuckled, "Hi,"

"I did it again, didn't I?" Stefan questioned.

Elena nodded, "Yeah," She said, chuckling.

"I'm sorry." Stefan apologized, light-heartedly.

Amelia had no interest in hanging around and watching them flirt. "Hey, I'm gonna go catch up with Bonnie and Caroline. Nice seeing you, Stefan!" She called as she walked away, feeling awkward.

While she hurried away from them, she tripped on a root sending her beer flying to the ground along with the person she had crashed into. While they detangled themselves, and they both apologized profusely, Amelia realized who she had walked into.

"Matt?" She busted out laughing and he followed right along with her.

"Melia! You may have been able to tackle me this time, but don't for a second think you could do it on the football field!" Matt joked.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone so you're ego isn't wounded." She giggled. Caroline and Bonnie found them like that - sitting on the ground, laughing at a joke they hadn't been around to hear.

"You guys are so weird." Caroline said laughing. Matt jumped up and then grabbed Amelia's hand, helping her out.

"I found her on the ground and I thought she'd feel better about it if I sat down with her too." Matt chuckled.

Bonnie shook her head and laughed, "Okay, weirdo's."

Matt quickly changed the subject to the homecoming football game that would be played soon. They listened to Matt talk about football for a few minutes before he started glancing over to where Elena and Stefan were standing. When Matt noticed Stefan leave Elena's side, he made an excuse about getting a refill and headed toward them. The three girls exchanged sad looks with each other, but made no comments.

Caroline also took the opportunity to track down Stefan. Amelia and Bonnie trailed meekly behind and arrived just in time to hear Stefan say, "Caroline, you and me - it's just not gonna happen. I'm sorry." Before he walked away towards Elena. Caroline and Amelia both felt hurt and embarrassment coursing through their chests. _Did that really just happen? Poor Caroline…_ Amelia thought. Maybe it was for the better that he was up front with her so she could move on.

Just a few moments later, everyone at the party witnessed Jeremy carrying Vicki Donovan, Matt's sister, from the forest. Elena was screaming, "Somebody help!"

Matt became wide eyed and started running towards his older sister, "Vicki? Vicki! What the hell?"

Amelia saw the blood seeping from the wound on her neck. She felt everyone's panic and it was overwhelming for her. She tried to think of what to do. Seeing all that blood on her neck reminded her of her parent's death's. Reminded her of her father in pieces on the living room floor. Reminded her of her mother's brains and blood blown out on the bathroom wall…

"What happened?" Tyler Lockwood ran to the scene.

Amelia didn't know what to do. She couldn't think. All she could do was _feel._

"Bonnie call an ambulance!" Matt shouted.

Amelia felt like she was dying. Her head was whirling. She felt nauseous.

"It's her neck! Something bit her. She's losing a lot of blood!" Elena shook her head.

She could hear her heart pounding. It felt harder and harder to breathe.

"Vicki, come on, open your eyes, look at me." Matt spoke to her.

Amelia was in shock. _Was there a vampire in Mystic Falls? _


	4. Chapter 3: The Night of the Comet

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 3: The Night of the Comet**

**September 9, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore felt numb. She realized she had driven herself to Sheila Bennet's home, but she didn't remember the drive. When Caroline and Bonnie opted to head to the Grill, Amelia offered them a ride, but they said they needed to "sober up" before going home. She could understand that. She was sure Liz would kill them both if she found Caroline drunk. She rubbed the smooth fire opal that always hung on her neck and wished for the first time in a long time that she didn't know about the supernatural. That she was just a normal girl. Not some freaky witch that didn't even function properly half of the time.

Amelia hopped out of her truck and shut the door, looking around to make sure no one was up at this late hour. Needing to feel reassured that she could still perform magic when she needed to, Amelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reaching her hands out, palms-down, towards the pavement. She felt the familiar warmth of magic swirling inside of her and when she opened her eyes all of the lights lining the street were flickering and the leaves surrounding her were elevated to where her hands were, floating, still, in mid-air. If someone were to see her, they would see the unnatural, leaf-ridden radius around her.

Amelia lowered her hands and the leaves drifted to the ground. She strode towards the door before pausing. Normally, she would just walk in. However, she decided to knock since it was so late. Before her knuckles reached the door, it flew open, and Sheila Bennett stood there, looking at her worriedly in her night clothes. "I thought I sensed you, child. What're you doing out so late? How many times do I have to tell you how dangerous it is? Hurry, come inside, c'mon."

After Amelia explained to her what had happened at the party, she felt even worse. She felt like such a failure for freezing up. She should have done more to help Vicki, to help calm the crowd, _anything_ really. And instead she just stood there, frozen in panic.

"Amelia!" Sheila scolded. "You're projecting, again. You need to calm yourself, child."

"Sorry," Amelia muttered, taking a deep breath and imagining the radius of her emotions. When she pictured it, she confirmed that Sheila was right and had to take a quiet moment or two to force the radius back to it's normal size.

"Now, tell me again, child. Bonnie is fine?"

"Yes, Sheila. They walked to The Grill right after… everything that happened. Caroline just texted me. She just dropped her off."

"Forgive me, child, you know how I worry." Sheila began pacing, and muttering to herself.

"Sheila, please… Have vampires returned to Mystic Falls?" Sheila continued her pacing and muttering, and Amelia began to grow frustrated, but she tried to stay patient. "And Bonnie… She said you told her she was psychic? Does she know about all this? Is she showing signs of her powers?"

Sheila paused, momentarily, thinking, "Yes, the early signs… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Lia, I've had many things on my mind… The strange missing persons, and the missing campers… And now, poor little Vicki Donovan…" Sheila suddenly stood rigid, before turning to Amelia and grasping her forearms tightly. "Amelia! You must promise me to keep your talisman on - now more than ever! Do you understand? Have you taken it off?" The elderly woman was staring at her with a wild look in her eyes.

"Of course not, Sheila, you've told me how important it is. I never take it off…" Amelia suddenly remembered, "But, well, that party that I picked Bonnie up from a few months ago? Well, um, I don't remember how I got from my truck in the parking lot, to the party. And, um, I don't remember not having my talisman on, or dropping it, but there was this man who picked it up from the ground and handed it to me." Seeing the concerned look on Sheila's face, Amelia hurried to finish, "But I must have dropped it, is all! It's no big deal…"

Sheila began pacing again, muttering to herself, but Amelia couldn't make out all that she was saying. "Of course…. Should have told her years ago… so foolish… vampire… no, couldn't have… well, maybe… compelled… shouldn't be possible… talisman… that cursed mother!"

"Sheila, please! I need to know." Amelia cried, feeling overwhelmed.

"Trust me, child, you're not ready to hear, not yet. Not all of it. I should have told you long ago about your talisman, but I thought we had more time. I'm afraid everyone in this town is now in danger and I'm afraid I can't keep quiet any longer." Sheila was looking at her with pity. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder and pulled her to sit down with her before launching into the dark tale of her talisman.

Amelia stared at her bedroom ceiling, wishing she could get a few hours of rest before the sun came up. She glanced at her alarm clock. The numbers: 3:47 glared back at her and she turned back to gaze at the ceiling, fingering her talisman, and thinking about what Sheila had told her. She thought about her beautiful sister, Caroline, sleeping in her girly bed. She thought about her fierce, maternal, protector sleeping unaware of the real, hidden danger residing in the town.

Mostly, she thought about how she wouldn't be able to protect them when the time came _if she wasn't wearing her talisman._ How when she was just a baby, her powers had been _tied_ to the talisman so her family could borrow them during a time of crisis. How if any predators of the night ever found out about her weakness, she would be easily overcome.

She thought about Vicki Donovan and the vampire bite wound on her neck. How she hadn't realized how much danger her and her friends had been in at the party. How Sheila warned that the comet was a harbinger of evil and that she should stay on high alert at all times.

Amelia knew that vampires couldn't come out during the day, and that was the only thing that didn't keep her inside all day, paralyzed with fear. She knew that they had to be invited in. She knew that vervain protected against compulsion in humans, but since she was a witch, she didn't need to be concerned with that.

_Oh wait,_ she thought bitterly, _I can be compelled without my talisman._ In fact, Sheila had told her she had probably been compelled a few months ago at the party. Amelia tried so hard to remember, but no matter what she did, she couldn't. She remembered feeling dizzy, and full of adrenaline. She remembered wondering how she had gotten a tiny blood stain on her shirt. And why her mouth had a faint taste of copper.

Amelia thought about the impending comet, and she wondered if it really was a harbinger of evil or if humans just projected their feelings onto an inch rock hurdling through space.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Her alarm clock blared. Amelia felt like crying, but she knew she needed to get ready for school and act like a normal person.

When she got out of the shower, she felt a bit better. She didn't even bother drying, or fixing, her hair. Instead, she threw it up in a pony tail, slid on an old pair of faded jeans, sneakers, and a comfy t-shirt. She tried to hurry past Caroline's room, but she knew she must have seen her when she called out, "You're seriously wearing _that_?" Amelia ignored her and dutifully packed everyone's lunches for the day before picking at a few blueberries for breakfast.

She managed to make it out the door before having to make small talk with Liz and Caroline, but not before she heard Liz ask, "Caroline? Is everything okay with Melia? She seem's a little off lately." Amelia didn't stick around for a response, but she made a mental note to spend more time with Liz when she could.

Amelia drove to school lost in thought and decided to wear her talisman under her shirt as a small precaution.

She wasn't surprised that she was the only one at school so far besides a few teachers that she was used to seeing this early. She exchanged polite "Good mornings," with the teachers she countered in the hallway. She even peeked her head into the science lab to give her favorite teacher, Mrs. Saunders, a "Good morning,". She enjoyed the peace and quiet that the early morning air offered.

As she got closer to the music room, she was shocked to hear the sound of someone playing the piano. She was even more surprised when she realized it was that dumb Chopin song she couldn't perfect and this person was playing it spot on!

Amelia poked her head into the music room and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a handsome man with dark hair and dark clothing sitting on the piano bench. She felt him become amused when she quietly entered and she knew he knew she was present. She could tell he was a bit of a show off. When he finished and the last note hung in the air she clapped and he turned around, a look of false surprise on his face. "My apologies, I didn't realize you were standing there." He lied charmingly.

Amelia felt her smile widen and she laughed at him, "Oh, please! You knew I was there the whole time, you show-off." Amelia watched him hide his surprise well behind an amiable smile.

"Beautiful and clever. What can I say, I'm a man of many talents." He looked at her demurely and she felt her neck grow warm.

"Tsk, tsk, careful, I can see your head growing, Mr….?" She trailed off, trying to be witty until she realized she didn't know his name.

"Salvatore, Damon Salvatore. You must have met my brother, Stefan?"

"I did," Amelia said, wondering why this man - Damon - had said he dropped Stefan off at school yesterday when Stefan said he didn't have any siblings that he talked to, "You two are very, um, different?" She said awkwardly, hoping she didn't offend him. She quickly tried to change the subject. "So! You weren't lying when you said you could play." She gestured towards the piano. "I'm a little jealous, honestly. I still can't perfect that song." She laughed awkwardly.

Taking her by surprise, he grabbed onto her wrist. As soon as he did she saw an image of a little boy with dark hair and blue eyes sitting on a piano bench getting frustrated with the same Chopin song. He was dressed in formal clothing and thought it must be a very old, outdated home. She didn't have time to think about it though because she found herself sitting next to Damon on the bench.

She was surprised by how much she enjoyed Damon's company. She enjoyed sitting next to him, knees touching, and laughing at his witty remarks. Before she knew it, he had somehow talked her into letting him help her. Within twenty minutes, she had finally played the song perfectly from start to finish. Finally after rejoicing she grew quiet for a moment.

Sensing something wasn't quite right, Damon asked her, "What's wrong? Aren't you excited?"

Amelia was quiet for another moment as she thought about her answer. "What're you doing here, Damon?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, "What? I can't sit and laugh with a pretty girl without having a motive?" He lied.

The bell rang and Amelia gathered her bag. In this instance, she wished she didn't know that he was lying to her. She wished that she could believe what he was telling her. She walked to the door before turning and replying, "Everyone has a motive."

Amelia hurried to her locker where she caught up with Caroline and Bonnie.

"I'm confused, are you psychic or clairvoyant?" Caroline asked Bonnie. Amelia almost tripped over her own feet, she was not expecting this conversation.

"Technically, Grams says I'm a witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something… Grams tried to explain it all, but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out. Crazy family, yes. Witches? I don't think so." Bonnie shook her head, not noticing Amelia's reaction.

"Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night." Caroline said giving Bonnie a dreamy look. Amelia didn't think much of it, _Caroline thinks she's in love with any cute guy who looks her way_, as much as she hated to think it.

Bonnie giggled, glancing around the hallway, "I didn't see him, you did! Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"I don't know, I was drunk." Caroline giggled as the girls barely made it to class on time.

The rest of the day passed by slowly. Amelia was pretty sure she had actually started snoring a little during history before Caroline threw a pencil at her and brought her back to the real world. Elena even asked her if she was sick when she noticed how pale she looked and the dark circles under her eyes. Amelia reassured her that she was fine. She managed to squeeze in a short nap in her truck before work after school. She managed to wake up immensely when a dog came into the clinic that was hit by a car. She had to handle answering phone calls, paperwork, checking patients in, and monitoring patients in the kennels all by herself until they managed to stabilize the dog.

That next day, Amelia woke up feeling refreshed, having slept in, but she immediately became panicked when she remembered what Liz had asked her the other night. She picked up the phone and dialed Elena's number before adding Bonnie to the call. They both answered with a sleepy, "Hello?"

"Hi! I'm so sorry I forgot to ask you the other day, but could you help hand out flyers at the festival? Liz asked me and I totally forgot." Amelia apologized.

Bonnie groaned, but Elena said, "Sure, we'll be there!" Both of the girls heard the phone click as Bonnie hung up, but Amelia knew she'd be there anyway.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it… And um, Elena? I've been wanting to ask you about something. Has Stefan mentioned a brother to you?" Amelia probed.

Elena immediately launched into her tale of meeting Damon Salvatore at the Boarding House last night. Apparently, Elena had driven there to see Stefan because she felt "inspired" only to find his brother. Elena explained how she thought Stefan was on the rebound and that he has "raging family issues". Amelia was quiet for a moment, trying to think about what to say.

"I think there's something strange going on with the Salvatore brothers. Just be careful, okay? And I wouldn't take what Damon says to heart." Amelia told her briefly about her meetings with him. "I think he has his own motives - I just can't figure out what it is yet."

Elena sighed but agreed not to do anything drastic until she talked to Stefan. The girls agreed to meet up at the Town Square and quickly hung up.

As soon as Amelia hopped out of the shower she was met with an angry Caroline. She berated Amelia and told her she couldn't believe she went to school yesterday "looking how you did" and that "no sister of mine can be seen like that in public!" Amelia put up a fight, but she ultimately found herself in a red sundress, that looked similar in style to Caroline's yellow, and a pair of red and white flip-flops.

"C'mon, Care, you know dresses aren't really my thing…" Amelia protested.

"Sh! Stop squirming. If you hit my arm you'll get poked in the eye with mascara. And trust me, that is not fun!" Caroline instructed. Amelia groaned but allowed her to continue.

As soon as Amelia saw her friends at the festival she glared at them and said, "Not one word." Elena and Bonnie giggled, but didn't say anything about her appearance. Amelia handed them some flyers and they started handing them out.

"Night of the Comet!" Elena called.

"Would you like a program?" Bonnie asked handing some out.

"Would you like a flyer?" Amelia asked, passing one to an older woman.

"He didn't call." Bonnie said to Elena.

Elena sighed, "Or text. Then I realized we never even exchanged that stuff. We never got to the texting part."

"That's an important milestone in any relationship." Bonnie said sympathetically.

"Isn't it?" Elena agreed.

Amelia linked arms with Elena, "It's not too late, hun. You haven't even talked to Stefan about it yet, remember?"

"I dunno, Melia… The timing was wrong anyway." Elena shrugged.

"When is it ever right?" Both Bonnie and Amelia said incredulously.

"Im not ready." Elena said, not making eye contact with either of them.

"Who ever is?" Bonnie asked her.

Elena came to a stop and suddenly became defensive, "At least I put myself out there."

"Is that what you're calling it?" Amelia rolled her eyes.

Elena looked at the ground, "What do you mean?"

"All we're hearing is reasons why you can't." Bonnie interjected more sympathetically. Elena looked at them and gave them a small smile before the three girls continued to pass out flyers.

The afternoon passed by quickly. Amelia volunteered to do some face painting for the little kids, even though she didn't think she was very good at it. She mostly painted comets on their cheeks and they showed their parents excitedly. She liked feeling their joy and childhood excitement. She often found it easier to be around simple-minded children rather than their more emotionally-conflicted adult counterparts.

She was glad when she saw Stefan walking up to the festival. She made an excuse saying she was running to the bathroom and managed to catch up to him before he was lost in the sea of people. "Hey, Stefan!" She called out to him.

He turned and gave her a small smile before asking, "Hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine. I was actually hoping I could talk to you about something?" She asked, feeling awkward about confronting him.

"Yeah, what's up?" She noticed his green eyes flicked down to her fire opal and back up to her eyes.

"Damon said something to me the other day-" She began.

Stefan interrupted her, "You met Damon? Are you okay? What did he want from you?"

Amelia looked at him strangely, "Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be? And that's actually what I wanted to ask you. He keeps showing up places I'm at for no apparent reason. And when I asked him why he kept hanging out around me he brushed it off. Does he have some motive I should know about?" She inquired feeling him grow more worried.

"Listen, Amelia, you need to stay far away from Damon, all right? He always has an agenda even when it seems like he doesn't." Stefan said quietly as he glanced around. It was almost like he was looking for him. "I'll see you later." He said, disappearing into the crowd.

Amelia stared off into the crowd trying to figure out where he went but quickly gave up.

A few hours later, Amelia was carrying a few boxes of paint supplies back to the booth when her flip-flop caught on something and she began to fall. She let out a girlish squeak before feeling a pair of strong arms catch onto her.

"Thank you-" Amelia started before she realized Damon Salvatore was holding her. "Oh, it's you." She deadpanned.

Damon released one hand from her and raised it to his heart. "Ouch. How you wound me." He joked. Amelia realized how close she was standing to him. She quickly readjusted the boxes and stepped away from him, forcing him to let go. Before she could protest, he took the boxes out of her arms and asked, "So, where are we taking these?"

Amelia sighed and crossed her arms, "Over to the face painting booth."

He smiled at her and gestured with the boxes, "Ladies first," Amelia smoothed out her dress and sighed before leading the way. Damon followed about a half a step behind her. It irritated her that he seemed to have no trouble carrying the heavy boxes.

"So I talked to Stefan today…" Amelia began.

"About?" Damon inquired, seeming uninterested.

"You." She stated very matter of factly. She felt another surge of irritation when this didn't seem to surprise him at all. "He told me to stay away from you. That you're dangerous." She said, trying to get a reaction out of him.

Damon thought quietly for a moment before saying seriously, "Every story has two sides, Amy."

"Don't call me that." She replied quickly, glancing back at him. She was surprised by the sincerity she felt exuding from him.

"My relationship with my brother is… complicated at best." He said mysteriously.

"Why can't you just… un-complicate it?" She asked, somewhat naively.

"You're so young, Amelia. You'll understand someday… some things just can't be forgiven." Damon said quietly.

Amelia felt her neck grow warm. "I'm not much younger than you." She said stubbornly. Damon just smirked at her, as if he knew some joke he wasn't explaining. "I just… I don't understand. If you're lucky enough to have a family, then you should be on good terms with them." Amelia felt embarrassed, but she also felt like she needed to try to explain it to him. If her parents were still here, she knew she would forgive them for anything. _Even for borrowing her powers,_ she thought quietly as they arrived to the booth.

Damon set down the heavy boxes and reached over to grab her hand. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents." He said sincerely, but ironically, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Amelia had heard it a thousand times, but for some reason hearing him say it and the way that he was looking at her with those icy blue eyes put a lump in her throat. She thought quietly for a moment, swallowed the lump in her throat, and said, "I'm sorry for being so rude to you earlier. I guess I should be more open minded. Every story _does_ have two sides." She gave him a small smile, "I hope you'll share yours with me someday." She realized he was still holding her hand and she pulled hers back and started fiddling with her hair, feeling shy.

"Maybe someday," Damon agreed quietly. Damon glanced at the children with the comets painted on their face. "Now, what does a guy have to do to get one of those?" He chuckled.

Amelia grinned, "Well, it just so happens you're looking at the expert. Have a seat in my office." She giggled pulling the fold up chair closer to the paint supplies so she could reach him.

"If I must. But if anyone asks - you forced me." He said a serious look on his face.

She grabbed a clean paintbrush, "Which color?"

Damon thought for a moment. His eyes seemed to travel from her fire opal talisman, to her neck, and down to her sundress before he swallowed and said, "Red."

Amelia noticed he seemed to look thirsty, "Would you like a drink?" She asked about to reach down and grab him one from the cooler.

Damon seemed to be looking at neck when he grimaced and replied, "Not today, Sweetheart."

Amelia realized she felt nervous, but she chalked it up to being so close to him. She dipped her brush into the red paint and leaned in to paint. She gripped his chin with her other hand and moved his chin when she needed to. She could feel his stubble and the smooth skin underneath. Amelia glanced to his eyes a few times, but always nervously glanced away. She noticed that he smelled rather pleasant. After what felt like forever, but was actually about a minute, she released him, handed him a mirror, and yelled, "Ta da! Do you like it?" She asked, worriedly.

Damon smirked at her and joked, "I don't think I could have gone on living without ever experiencing having my face painted."

Amelia was actually surprised, "You've never had your face painted?" Damon gave her a "Duh, that's what I just said" look and she looked down at her hands.

Damon admired his face in the mirror while Amelia looked up at the sky, admiring the comet. Inspiration struck her, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him out of his seat and away from the booth in order to get a better look.

"Isn't it amazing?" Amelia asked him, glancing up to see his reaction.

Damon only had eyes for the comet as he thought about how he could free his lover with the help of the comet and this witch. "Amazing." He agreed.

After Amelia and Damon parted ways, Amelia found her friends hanging out at the Grill. "Hey, has anyone seen Vicki?" Jeremy Gilbert, Elena's little brother, asked.

Tyler Lockwood jibed, "You're her stalker, you tell us."

"You don't have to be such a jerk, Ty." Amelia glared at him.

"Really? You used to like it when I was a jerk." He said winking at her. Amelia glared at him.

"I can't find her." Jeremy continued.

"She probably found someone else to party with. Sorry pill-pusher. I guess you've been replaced." Tyler suggested.

Amelia didn't want to say anything, but she agreed with Tyler. She wasn't too worried about Vicki, but it was starting to get dark. Amelia knew that if they couldn't find her she could do a tracking spell with Sheila.

"Hey, what's with the pill-pusher?" Elena looked at Tyler.

"Ask him." Tyler nodded at Jeremy.

"You really wanna do this right now?" Jeremy said.

Elena looked like she was starting to understand and she looked pissed. "Are you dealing?"

"She's never gonna go for you." Tyler said.

"She already did! Over and over and over again." Jeremy declared.

"Yeah, right." Chortled Tyler.

"Okay. You slept with Vicki Donovan? I mean… Vicki Donovan slept with _you_?" Caroline chimed in, disbelieving.

"There's no way." Tyler gawked.

"And I didn't even have to force her into it." Jeremy challenged, looking at Tyler. What was that suppose to mean?

"What the hell's he talking about, Ty?" Matt burst out.

"Nothin' man, just ignore him. He's a punk."

"You know what - How about all of you shut up and help me find my sister." Matt said fed up.

"We'll check the back." Bonnie said. Bonnie and Caroline started calling her name.

"I'll check the square." Matt said.

"I'll come with you." Jeremy and Amelia said.

"Oh no, no no. You are coming with me." Elena grabbed on to Jeremy's arm, leading him away.

Amelia had to jog to keep up with Matt as he made long strides towards the town square. "Hey!" Matt called out to Stefan. "Have you seen my sister?"

Stefan shook his head, "No, sorry."

Matt was disappointed, "I can't find her. She's missing." He explained.

"Give me your phone." Amelia asked in a hurry. Stefan paused for a moment, but handed it to her anyway and watched her while she put in her number. "If you find her, please call!"

Stefan nodded, and started to walk away. "I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Hey!" Matt called. "I saw you at the hospital yesterday." He accused. Amelia was confused… So what if he was at the hospital?

"Did you." Stefan said.

"What were you doing there?" Matt probed.

"Matt, why does it matter? Let's go find Vicki." Amelia interjected.

Matt ignored her. Amelia could practically smell the testosterone in the air. "Visiting." Stefan replied, mysteriously.

"Visiting." Matt repeated. There was a brief pause before Matt continued. "You know, Elena and I have known each other a long time. We might not be together right now, but I look out for her. And I'll always look out for her."

Stefan nodded, before turning his head slightly. It seemed like he was distracted by something, but Amelia wasn't sure by what. "Excuse me." Stefan said before walking in the direction of The Grill.

"Vicki?" Amelia yelled.

"Vicki!" Matt shouted, looking around frantically. They had searched all over Town Square with no success before heading back to regroup at The Grill. As soon as Matt had started through the door he yelled, "Vick!" and ran over to her. "What happened are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Matty." Vicki replied. It looked like she was strung out on something.

Amelia walked over to where Caroline and Bonnie were sitting and pulled up a chair. "Ugh, so much drama," Caroline stated, "Ever notice how the druggies are the biggest attention whores?" She said shaking her head.

"Yeah," Bonnie agreed. Amelia stayed silent. _There are two sides to every story, _she thought.

Amelia noticed Stefan talking to Matt before he walked over towards them. "Excuse me, hi." He said.

"Hi," Caroline replied.

"Um, have you guys seen Elena?"

"I think she went home." Bonnie said sympathetically. Stefan grimaced, but nodded and began to walk away.

Bonnie called after him, "I'm gonna give you Elena's cell number and her email. She is big on texting and you can tell her I said so." Bonnie had a devious look on her face.

"Thank you." Stefan said quietly, reaching to take the paper from her.

As soon as their hands touched both Bonnie and Amelia felt a terrible feeling wash over them. "Are you okay?" Stefan asked.

At the same time, they both whispered, "What happened to you?"

Bonnie stood up suddenly and said, "That's so rude. I'm sorry. Excuse me," before she walked away from the table.

"Yeah, they're kinda weird. It's like their thing." Caroline said, shrugging and looking at Amelia weirdly.

Stefan gave them a small smile before walking away.

"I'm gonna go find Bonnie, Care. I think I'll stay at her place tonight." Amelia said, knowing that they needed to talk.

"Okay, goodnight, weirdo." Caroline called after her with a smile on her face.

After Amelia had caught up with Bonnie, the two of them drove back to her place and had a sleepover. Afterwards, Amelia realized that she had forgotten to tell her that she was a witch.


	5. Chapter 4: Friday Night Bites

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 4: Friday Night Bites**

**September 11, 2009**

That next morning Amelia arrived to school with Elena and Bonnie in a borrowed outfit. As they hopped out of the car, Bonnie said, "I'm not saying: don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow."

Elena whined, "You, are the one who said to go for it!"

Bonnie shrugged, "Now, I'm saying take it slow."

"Well, what do you think, Melia?" Elena looked to her, hoping to get a different answer.

"Well… I think it's beneficial to take it slow in any relationship." Amelia replied neutrally.

Bonnie scoffed, "Like you have so much experience."

Amelia glared at her. "Tyler Lockwood is a douche, but I still dated him. So, _there_. I do have _some_ experience."

Bonnie laughed, "Everyone dated Tyler Lockwood. He doesn't count."

Amelia smirked, "You two didn't."

Bonnie looked to Elena, "You're single for the first time in your high school career. It's time to play the field."

"Oh, because I'm so that girl." Elena said sarcastically, rolling her eyes, "Seriously, what're you not saying?"

"It's stupid," Bonnie turned away.

"Bonnie, spit it out!" Elena grabbed her arm.

"It's nothing. I accidentally touched Stefan, and I got a really bad feeling." She said shaking her head.

"Is that it?" Elena said, waiting to hear the rest of the story.

Bonnie turned to walk away again. "Bonnie!" Elena groaned, grabbing her arm again.

"It was _bad_, bad. C'mon, Lia, back me up! I know you felt it too."

"Look, Bonnie, I'm sure it was nothing. If she wants to date Stefan, I think it's fine as long as she's careful." Amelia replied neutrally.

Elena turned to Bonnie, "Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?" She asked.

_Ugh_, Amelia thought. She really wished Bonnie hadn't gone blurting to their friends about this stuff. It felt so strange to her that it was out in the open, even if none of them believed it. She wondered what they would think about her if they ever found out…

"You know what? I'm just concerned. This is me expressing concern about one of my best friends new boyfriend." Bonnie said, tired of the conversation.

Elena gripped her shoulders, "And I love you for it. I do. But I feel good! It's been a hard year. And I'm starting to kinda feel like things are getting back to normal again. And you know what? Stefan is a big part of that." Elena explained to Bonnie.

The three girls shared a smile and walked towards the school together. Stefan appeared out of no where. "Good morning, Elena. Good morning Amelia, Bonnie."

"You know what, I'd better go find Caroline. She hasn't been answering my texts so…" Amelia trailed off walking towards the school, genuinely worried about her sister.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" Bonnie jogged off to catch up with her.

"Bonnie, wait!" Elena called, but Bonnie ignored her.

Once they were out of hearing distance, Amelia elbowed Bonnie and said, "You should really give him a chance." But Bonnie just glared at her. Amelia and Bonnie arrived to history about ten minutes early and Amelia worked on her upcoming projects while they waited. Or well, Amelia _tried_ to work on her upcoming projects. For some reason the numbers "8, 14, and 22" were stuck in her brain, and she doodled the numbers, instead.

Once the bell rang and everyone piled into the room, Mr. Tanner started firing off questions about dates. Amelia hated it when he did this. She was much better at learning about what happened, rather than the exact date that it happened. Amelia groaned internally when he called on her, but she was grateful it was an easy question. "World War II ended in…? Anyone got anything? Ms. Whitmore?"

"1945." She replied.

"Very good, but you should all know that."

Amelia sunk down in her chair a little and listened to Elena try to convince Stefan to join the football team as she doodled 8, 14, 22…

"Pearl Harbor?" Mr. Tanner asked. "Ms. Gilbert?"

"Huh?" Elena responded and Amelia rolled her eyes. She was an easy target if she wasn't paying attention.

"Pearl Harbor?" He repeated.

"Uhm…" She trailed off.

"December 7th, 1941." Stefan chimed in - always saving his damsel in distress.

"Thank you, _Ms. Gilbert_." Mr. Tanner emphasized, glaring at Stefan as the class chuckled. Even Amelia had to laugh a little.

"Any time." Stefan replied sarcastically.

"Very well," Mr. Tanner replied. "The Fall of the Berlin Wall." He challenged.

"1989, I'm good with dates, Sir." Stefan replied.

"Are you. How good? Keep it to the year." Mr. Tanner stated as he and Stefan engaged in a pissing match with Stefan answering everything correctly. Finally, Mr. Tanner asked, "Korean War?"

"1950-1953." Stefan stated.

"Ha!" Tanner yelled, "It ended in '52!" He chuckled turning away.

"Actually, Sir, it was 1953." Stefan stated mater of factly.

Mr. Tanner paused for a moment before shouting, "Look it up, somebody. Quickly!"

Amelia knew her text book in and out and was the first one to turn to the chapter of the Korean War.

"It was 1953." She said loudly as the class erupted in applause for Stefan.

The rest of the day passed by quickly but she still saw no sign of Caroline in any of her classes. As she waited for Caroline's cheer practice to start, she worked on homework. She made a silent promise to herself that if Caroline didn't show up to practice she would call Liz - even if Caroline was pissed at her for a whole week.

While they waited, Bonnie and Amelia chatted.

"Eh hem," Elena said giggling as she walked up in shorts and a tank top.

"Oh, my god, you're here!" Bonnie jumped up and hugged her. Amelia smiled up at her from the ground.

"Yep. I can't be sad girl forever. The only way I'm gonna get things back to the way they were is to do things that were. Oh! And you're both coming to dinner tonight." Elena said as she bent down to tie her shoe.

"Okay, fine, but I really need to study for this history test while we're there."

"Fine, nerd, but only if you help with the dishes." Elena joked.

"We are?" Bonnie asked playfully.

"Mhm, the three of us and Stefan." Elena replied nonchalantly. When Bonnie gave her a look, Elena continued, "You have to give him a chance."

"Tonights no good." Bonnie lied shaking her head apologetically.

"It was perfectly fine three seconds ago…" Amelia muttered sarcastically.

Bonnie glared at her before asking, "Have you seen Caroline? I've texted her, like, a hundred times."

"Don't change the subject Bonnie Bennet! You're going to be there."

"Fine! I'll go." Bonnie complained.

Amelia replied to Bonnie's earlier comment, "I haven't heard from Care… but if she doesn't show up to practice, I'm gonna call Liz."

The girls were quiet for a moment before Elena asked, "Why don't you call her 'mom'?"

Amelia thought about it for a moment, but didn't look up from her text book when she answered, "Because she's not my mom."

"Seriously, where is Caroline?" Bonnie repeated, looking around for her.

Elena shrugged and finished taking a sip from her water, "I don't know. It's not like her."

"I'll try her again." Bonnie said picking up her phone.

Just then, a nice, blue, chevy muscle car rolled to a stop next to the practice field with the music blaring. Amelia became dumbfounded when she realized it was Damon Salvatore and her sister, Caroline in the car, but when she saw them lean over and lock lips, she felt her heart stop. Her stomach felt nauseous and she couldn't believe her eyes. And just as quickly, she realized how stupid she had been. Damon Salvatore didn't _like_ her. He was probably just being nice to her so he could get closer to her more beautiful sister. Amelia felt like she could cry. Boys _always_ chose Caroline over Amelia.

_Not that I liked Damon anyway… _She thought as she tore her eyes away from them.

"Uhh…" Elena mumbled.

"Oh, my God," Bonnie started, "That must be the mystery guy from The Grill." Mystery Guy from The Grill? Amelia realized her sister had never mentioned him to her.

"That's no mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore." She stated matter of factly.

"Salvatore? As in Stefan?" Bonnie hissed.

Caroline hopped out of the car and strode between the three girls, "I got the other brother - hope you don't mind." She bragged, locking eyes with Elena before turning to the whole team. "Sorry I'm late girls! I was, uh, busy. Alright! Let's start with a double pike herkie hurdler! What do you say?" She said getting into cheer mode. Amelia decided she'd have to talk to her later.

Amelia glanced up and locked eyes with Damon. For some reason, the numbers: 8, 14, and 22, flashed into her mind again as she looked at him. He winked at her and mouthed, "See you, later!" Before driving off, tires squealing. Amelia didn't have time to react, but later on, she imagined the look on his face if she had flipped him off.

Amelia didn't pay any attention to the cheerleader's practice. Instead, she tried to memorize dates, and battles, and important historical figures. She did happen to look up once and notice that Elena was struggling before Caroline said** i**n a cheery voice, "Elena? Sweetie? Why don't you just observe today? Kay?" Amelia felt bad for Elena and reminded herself to mention that to Caroline later, too.

Before she knew it, the practice was over and Amelia found herself studying in Elena's kitchen instead of on the practice field as she half listened to Bonnie and Elena's nervous chatter.

"You explain it! Last night, I'm watching 9-0. The commercial break comes on and I'm like 'I bet it's that phone commercial!' and, sure enough, it's the guy and the girl with the Benz. He flies to Paris and he flies back and they take a picture!" Bonnie says, trying to get Elena to understand.

"Oh, c'mon, that commercial's on a constant loop!" Elena remarks.

"Fine, well, how about this. Today I'm obsessed with numbers - three numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22." As soon as Bonnie said that, Amelia felt her blood turn cold. No way that was a coincidence. Amelia decided she really needed to talk to Sheila. "How weird is that?"

Elena paused dramatically, "Maybe we should play the lottery."

"We're not old enough to play the lottery." Amelia chimed in.

Elena laughed, "Bonnie, have you talked to your Grams?"

"She's gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't wanna be a witch. Do you wanna be a witch?" She looked to Elena.

"If you were a witch, what would be so bad about that?" Amelia said, growing defensive.

"I don't wanna be a witch." Elena agreed with Bonnie.

"If you're so concerned, Bonnie, you really need to talk to Sheila." Amelia advised.

Bonnie changed the subject as she saw Elena putting the store-bought pasta in a bowl, "Elena, putting it in the nice bowl isn't fooling anybody." She chided.

"Okay, serving spoons… Where are the serving spoons…" Elena looked around.

"Middle drawer on your left." Bonnie guessed optimistically, while Amelia stated unenthusiastically.

"Okay, you guys have been in this kitchen, like, a thousand times." Elena said, trying to find an explanation. "Maybe you're a witch, too, Melia." Elena joked.

"Yeah, maybe…" Amelia muttered, turning the page of her history book.

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Okay, he's here." Elena said, clapping her hands together. "Don't be nervous, just be your normal, loving self." She said to a nervous-looking Bonnie Bennett as she went to answer the door.

Bonnie glanced around nervously and whispered to herself, "Birthday candles," Amelia watched her find the drawer with a small smile on her face.

"I think your Grams is right, you know." Amelia said to her, now that they were in private. Amelia contemplated showing her what she could do, but she changed her mind at the last second. Elena wouldn't forgive her if she knew she ruined the dinner.

"Don't be silly." Bonnie said, not looking at her, and carrying the pasta bowl out to the table.

The dinner with Stefan wasn't as awkward as Amelia thought it would be, but she still wished she was somewhere else.

"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena asked Stefan.

"Well, he let me on the team, so, must have done something right." Stefan said, smiling at her.

Elena turned to Bonnie, "Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him -"

"Yeah, I heard." Bonnie interrupted.

Amelia stared at Bonnie and she felt bad for Elena. "Well, I haven't heard yet. What happened?" Amelia lied.

Elena gave her a small smile, "Well, like I was saying, Tyler threw a ball right at Stefan, and right before it hit him, he turned around, caught it, and threw a perfect throw right back to him. It hit him so hard, I thought he was gonna fall over!" Elena laughed.

Amelia chuckled and then the table grew silent again. After a few moments, Elena turned to Bonnie again and said, "Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?"

Bonnie looked at Stefan, "Um, divorced, no mom, live with my dad." She said nodding. Amelia felt a little hurt for Sheila that she hadn't mentioned her.

Elena scoffed at Bonnie, "No, about the witches." She hinted. Stefan looked at Elena in interest. "Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches it's _really_ _cool_." Elena emphasized to Bonnie.

"_Cool_ isn't the word I'd use." Bonnie said, starting down at her plate.

"Well, I think it's pretty cool." Amelia interjected.

Stefan looked at her, "You said your family's from New Orlean's? Is it possible you have a lineage of witches in your family as well?" He asked, looking at her talisman.

Amelia shifted in her seat uncomfortably and fingered her fire opal talisman. "I mean, anything's possible, right?" She responded vaguely.

Elena chimed in, "Wait, Lia, that's right! I remember Grams mentioning you had a different bloodline in your family as well. Isn't that so cool?"

Amelia gave her a tight-lipped smile. Stefan turned back to Bonnie, "Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not entirely well-versed, but I do know there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's?" Amelia was confused, she had never heard of that.

"My family came here by the way of Salem." Bonnie responded, rather awkwardly.

"Really?" Stefan asked, rather intrigued. "Salem witches?"

Bonnie nodded, "Yeah."

"That's pretty cool." Stefan said to the rest of the group.

"Really? Why?" Amelia asked, wanting to dissuade her suspicions.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non-conformity." He replied. Amelia was impressed with his scholarly answer, but she was still worried that he somehow knew about her. That was twice now he had asked about her New Orlean's heritage.

"Yeah, they are." Bonnie said smiling at Stefan. Before they could continue the conversation, the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be." Elena said, confused as she got up to answer the door.

As it turned out, it was Damon Salvatore and Caroline. Amelia felt awkward as they made small talk and she mostly stayed silent. After a few minutes, they made their way to the living room to talk. Amelia quickly chose a seat next to Bonnie so she didn't have to sit by them.

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team!" Caroline exclaimed to Stefan. "Tyler must be seething. But, good for you! I mean, go for it!"

Damon said rather charmingly, "That's what I always tell him! You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." Amelia tried not to notice that he seemed to be looking at her when he said that.

"Yeah, well, try telling Lia that! She's so boring, all she does is study and work. If it weren't for me, she'd be no fun at all." Caroline chimed. Amelia felt angry tears fill her eyes. Was that really what her friends thought of her? "I mean, I guess I kinda understand. Her dad was attacked by an animal or something, and her mom shot herself right in front of her! Isn't that just crazy? I guess I'd be a little weird, too…"

"Excuse me," Amelia said quietly, heading to the kitchen.

"And Elena wasn't so lucky today, either." Caroline continued, before looking at Elena. "It's only because you missed summer camp. I don't know how you're ever gonna learn the routines…"

_It seemed like Caroline was on a roll tonight_, Amelia thought as she scrubbed the dishes so hard she thought they'd break. Amelia glared at the plant sitting on the windowsill. When it turned black and shriveled up, Amelia tensed up and immediately felt bad. She glanced around to make sure nobody was there before cupping the plant and whispering: "Phasmatos tribum, plantus vivifey, plantus herbus." She loved the warm feeling of the magic swirling inside of her that made her feel connected to nature. Amelia felt relieved when the plant turned green again and looked even healthier than it had before.

"One more!" Amelia heard Damon's familiar voice right behind her and she spun around. He handed her the glass, but it slipped through her soapy fingers. Right before it hit the ground, he caught it and Amelia laughed nervously.

"Nice save." She said. "Um, how long have you been standing there?" She asked, worried that he could have seen what she had done to the plant.

"Not long." He smirked, vaguely before starting to dry the dishes. They were quiet for a moment before he said, "I'm sorry about what Caroline said to you. That was out of line."

Amelia quickly tried to change the subject, not wanting to talk about her parents. "So… How long have you and Caroline been…?" She probed, not that she really wanted to know…

"Together?" He hinted, teasingly.

"Yeah, that…" She said awkwardly.

"Not long. She's pretty great. I see a lot of you in her as a matter of fact." He said looking at her.

"Is that so?" Amelia asked rhetorically and she stared at the soapy water, scrubbing another dish much harder than it needed to be scrubbed.

At about that time Elena came into the kitchen and started loading the dishwasher. Amelia wasn't paying attention, but Damon must have made some joke because Elena started laughing.

"I like you." Damon said to her. "You know how to laugh. And you make Stefan smile which is something I haven't seen in a very long time."

"Earlier, did you mean Katherine?" Elena asked him. Amelia wasn't sure what they were talking about, but she listened attentively anyway.

"Mhm." Damon agreed.

"How did she die?" Elena questioned.

Damon seemed to think about his response before replying, "A fire, tragic fire."

"Recently?" She continued.

Damon paused again, "It seems like it was yesterday."

For some reason, Elena seemed hooked on the topic, "What was she like?"

"She was beautiful. She was also very complicated and selfish and at times not very kind but very sexy."

"So… Which one of you dated her first?" Elena asked confidently.

Amelia was so surprised her hand slipped and she sloshed dish water all over her front. She felt her neck grow warm and she blotted at herself with a dishcloth while Damon and Elena laughed.

It grew quiet and then Damon chuckled. "Hm, nicely deduced. Ask Stefan, I'm sure his answer differs from mine."

Amelia quietly left the room and decided to hide in the bathroom until someone noticed she was gone.

She ran her fingers through his dark, soft hair and moaned as he sucked on her neck. She boldly unbuttoned his shirt… Slowly, one by one… Until he couldn't take it anymore and ripped it open, the buttons scattering all over the floor. She giggled at his impulsiveness and brought her lips back up to his-

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Amelia woke up flustered and irritated with herself that she was dreaming about Damon Salvatore. She ended up needing a cold shower that morning before heading to work. She put in an eight hour shift at the clinic before heading home, tired, but excited for the Homecoming game. She finally managed to corner Caroline while she was doing her makeup.

"Why didn't you come to school the other day?" Amelia questioned, crossing her arms.

"Because I was a little _distracted_, Lia." She said, winking at her. What she implied made her chest ache and her stomach churn. Care just continued to apply eyeshadow.

"Liz would freak if she found out! Does she know you're dating someone way older than you?"

"Oh, my God, who cares? If I wanted advice on dating men, I'd ask Dad, not Mom." Caroline said, referring to her father's relationship with his boyfriend while she started her eyeliner. Amelia usually enjoyed Caroline's bubbly presence. However, at the moment, she felt her irritation flood into her which made her even more cranky.

"Well, what's up with you being such a jerk to me lately?" Amelia cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "I'm tired of you treating me like your sidekick or something, okay? You may be, like, a superhero or something, but I'm not a sidekick okay?! I'm a superhero, too!"

Caroline turned and looked at her before rolling her eyes, "Oh, my God, Melia, you're such a nerd." Caroline sighed and threw her arms around Amelia. "Look, I'm sorry, I swear. I don't mean to act like a jerk, but you know how I have word vomit! I just can't control it sometimes… But I swear I'll work harder at it." Caroline smiled at her. "Now come on! Lets get ready for this kick-ass game!"

During the time that it took for Caroline to do her hair, Amelia had showered, blow dried her hair, done her makeup, and put on a cute red sweater, jeans, and tan boots for the big game.

When they arrived at the game, they went their separate ways. Amelia was surprised to learn that Elena had quit the team, but she also realized it was for the best and she could physically feel Elena's relief. Plus, she was grateful that she had someone to sit with, that she actually liked, now. The girls stood together as they watched the opposing team's mascot burn in the bonfire. Amelia thought it was a little over the top and she tuned out Tanner's boring speech that was meant to get the crowd riled up. Amelia could sense their excitement, but she tried to thicken her emotional barriers as she always did in crowded, public places.

Amelia stared into the fire and she thought she saw the numbers: 8, 14, 22, etched into a block of wood, but when she blinked it was gone. Amelia shook her head and decided to take a walk.

"Elena, do you need anything from the car?" She interrupted her and Bonnie's chatter.

"Yeah, I was actually about to grab a sweater. It's getting kinda cold, thanks!" Elena replied, handing her the keys.

Amelia headed off trying to find where Elena had parked. After a few minutes, she finally found the car and she reached in the back to search for a sweater. After a moment she found it and was about to turn around when she felt someone standing right behind her. Amelia felt her heart race and the hair on the back of her neck stand up before she spun around only to see a familiar pair of icy blue eyes looking back at her.

"Damon… You scared me." She gasped, placing a hand on her chest and trying to calm her racing heart. "Wha-What are you doing here?" She stuttered.

Damon leaned down towards her and whispered comically, "I'm hiding from Caroline."

"And why is that?" Amelia whispered back, slightly irritated.

"Well, I needed a break. She talks more than I can listen." Damon said. Amelia understood what he meant.

"That could be a sign." Amelia said, not in the mood to discuss their relationship.

"Well, she's, uh, she's awfully young." Damon said, trying to explain. Amelia felt uncomfortable. If Caroline was too young for him than he must think she was too young for him as well. Not that it mattered to Amelia or anything…

"Not much younger than you are." Amelia said, harshly.

Damon paused for a moment before smiling at her and saying, "I don't see it going anywhere in the bigger picture. I think she'd drive me crazy."

Amelia hated herself for the conflicting feelings swirling around her chest. "Caroline does have some really annoying traits, but she's been like a sister to me and that means something to me." _Why would he tell me something like that? Caroline is practically a sister to me…_ she thought.

Damon acted like he was taken a back, "Duly-noted. I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. That-That's not my intention." He lied chuckling and shaking his head.

Amelia was feeling confident. "Yes it is. Otherwise you wouldn't put an alternate meaning behind everything you say."

Damon pressed his lips together before nodding and saying, "You're right. I do have other intentions - but so do you." He stated matter of factly.

Amelia could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Did he know…? "Really?" She asked nervously, trying to call his bluff.

"Yeah. I see 'em." He said confidently leaning towards her and whispering, "You want me."

Amelia silently held her breath.

"I get to you. You find yourself drawn to me. You think about me even when you don't want to think about me. I bet you even dreamed about me." He insisted. "And right now, you want to kiss me…" He trailed off looking into her light blue eyes.

Amelia felt like a deer in headlights. There he was: tall, dark and handsome and leaning down to kiss her. She felt Damon's soft lips on her own and she had a hard time thinking about anything at all until the image of her heartbroken sister, Caroline, appeared in her mind like a bucket of ice water. Amelia shoved him away.

"What the hell?! I don't know what game you're playing with Caroline and me, but you'd better put an end to it right now!" Amelia shouted at him, angry tears in her eyes as she fast-walked angrily away from him.

_Life is so unfair_, she thought. She couldn't be with Damon how she wanted to, because she cared about her sister. She couldn't be around Caroline how she wanted to, because she cared about Damon.

About a half an hour later, Amelia stared at the crime scene in shock. She couldn't believe that Mr. Tanner was killed… "An animal attack" everyone whispered. But Amelia knew the truth. As she let her gaze drift, her eyes stumbled upon a sign saying "Bldg 8." Amelia held her breath as her eyes wandered to a license plate "14." Tears leaked out of her eyes as they landed on the vandalized pavement, "22."

"Vampire." She whispered.


	6. Chapter 5: Family Ties

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 5: Family Ties**

**September 24, 2009**

In the two weeks that had passed since the homecoming tragedy, Amelia mostly kept to herself. She picked up some extra hours at the clinic and studied ahead in her textbooks. But, most importantly, she spent a lot of time practicing magic with Sheila Bennett.

"Now, child," Began the elderly woman as they sat in her home. "I want you to create a small fire." She said, handing her a jar of salt.

Amelia smirked, confidently. Amelia concentrated for a moment, and made a line on the wooden table with the salt. "Phasmatus Ignitium Dos Ex Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo, Phasmatis Ignitium Dos On Salvo." She recited, feeling the energy inside her grow unbearably hot before she unleashed it onto the line of salt. "Piece of cake." She smirked.

Sheila tsked at her, "Now, child, I need for you to extinguish the fire. And hurry now. I rather like these curtains."

Amelia gaped at her in surprise. Sheila had never asked her to extinguish flame before. "B-but I don't know how!" In her angst, the flame shot up even higher as it fed off her emotions.

Sheila tsked again, "Well, you'd better figure it out, and hurry."

Amelia closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to figure out what to do. Her eyes flew open and she ran over to the bookshelf. Using her mind, she nonverbally summoned the grimoire containing the incantation that she needed. She set the book down on the floor and flicked her wrist at the book - the pages turned to the spell that she needed. "Suctus Incendia!" She whispered harshly over the flame. Each time she said the incantation, the flames decreased until there was nothing left but a line of burnt salt.

"Good, Amelia, I expected nothing but the best from you. Now, do you know why I asked you to do that?" Sheila held Amelia's hands in her own.

Amelia thought about it for a moment. "You asked me to do that to help me learn… That I should never light a fire that I don't know how to extinguish." Amelia realized.

"That's exactly right, child. You always need to be cautious, especially now-a-days. When I asked you to light that fire, you trusted me inexplicably that I would put it out, did you not?" Sheila asked.

"Well… yes." Amelia replied, unsure of where she was going with this.

"You mustn't ever do that again child, do you hear me? Even the people you trust most have their own motives, their own, agendas… Do you understand?" Sheila asked her, sadly.

Amelia felt her sadness radiate into her core. She understood what Sheila was telling her. Amelia needed to be less naive, and more cautious. The time for being careless was over. Now was the time for survival.

"Thank you, Sheila." Amelia whispered before cleaning up the mess she had made.

Amelia Whitmore walked into The Grill with Bonnie Bennett and Caroline Forbes.

"You're taking Damon to the Founder's Party? What about me?" Bonnie asked incredulously. Apparently Bonnie and Caroline had been planning on going together, Amelia realized.

"Go with Amelia, she doesn't have a date either, surprise, surprise." Caroline goaded.

Amelia elbowed Caroline before turning to Bonnie with mock dreamy eyes, "Bonnie Bennett, would you do me the honor of attending the Founder's Party with me?"

Bonnie sighed, but played along, "Fine, but I get to drive." She winked at her.

"And what about your mom, is she okay with you bringing Damon?" Bonnie asked Caroline with disbelief. Amelia's stomach churned at the thought of Damon. She still couldn't believe what had happened the other night with him. She knew she should tell Caroline, but she couldn't bear to do it. Amelia knew that if she told her, Caroline would blame her and possibly never forgive her.

Caroline gave her a look, "And I'm supposed to care why…?"

"Um, because she's your mom?" Amelia scoffed.

"He's older, sexy, danger guy." Bonnie said worriedly.

"Older, sexy, danger guy? What is that? An official witch twitter tweet?" Caroline joked.

Bonnie became serious, "No more witch jokes, okay? That whole Mr. Tanner prediction thing has me freaked."

"Okay." Caroline agreed quietly. "And Damon's not dangerous. You know? He just has a lot of issues with his brother. You know like _major_, deep-rooted drama." She emphasized.

"Like?" Bonnie drawled. Amelia ripped up her napkin quietly.

Caroline bit her lip in angst before releasing a deep breath, "I'm not really suppose to say anything." She looked down at the table.

Amelia stared at her incredulously. "Caroline Forbes. When have you ever kept a secret in your life?"

Caroline perked up, "Okay. But you _can't_ tell Elena."

"No," Bonnie immediately agreed. Amelia groaned internally, _of course_, Bonnie would tell Elena.

Later that afternoon, Bonnie, Elena, and Amelia were picking out nail polish at Elena's kitchen table.

"Delicate flower vs. naughty vixen?" Bonnie asked.

"Tough call, can we mix them?" Elena asked from across the room.

"That seems like an awful lot of work just for nail polish…" Amelia interjected.

"Look at you getting all pretty for your date." Bonnie said playfully to Elena, "You seem happy-ish."

"I am -ish. Tonight's gonna be a good night. But don't let that stop you from telling me whatever it is you wanted to tell me as soon as you walked in the door." Elena finished deviously.

Bonnie seemed unsure, "What if I tell you in the morning? I don't want to ruin the night."

"Bonnie, out with it." Elena demanded. Amelia remained quiet, she had already heard it earlier.

Bonnie gave her a look, but sighed and said, "Okay, but it has to go in the vault because Caroline will kill me if it gets back to Damon that she squealed." Elena gave her a reassuring look. "Apparently, Stefan has a very interesting back-story."

"Uh huh," Elena said when Bonnie paused.

"Do you know what happened with his ex-girlfriend, Katherine?" Bonnie asked.

"I know that they both dated her and that's why they have issues…" Elena trailed off, unsure of where Bonnie was going with this.

"Yeah, they both dated her, only she chose Damon, and that drove Stefan mad, so he did horrible things to try and break them up. He manipulated Katherine and filled her head with all these lies until finally it worked and she turned against Damon."

Elena shook her head incredulously. "That sounds like one side of the story. Meaning _Damon's_."

Amelia interjected, "I completely agree. I mean, we shouldn't make any assumptions before talking to Stefan first. And besides - that wasn't coming directly through Damon so who knows what information got confused, you know? There's two sides to every story." She had just finished painting her nails a light blue.

Bonnie turned to Elena, "I just wanted you to know."

"Anyway, his past relationships are none of my business." Elena sighed.

Bonnie continued painting her own nails, "Unless he's a calculating, manipulative liar. That _is_ your business."

"Okay, Bonnie, I think she gets it." Amelia nudged her.

Amelia could tell that Elena was becoming frustrated when she burst out, "Stefan is none of those things."

Bonnie shrugged, "Yeah? How do you know?"

Elena paused, stumped, as she realized Bonnie could be right.

As Amelia was doing her makeup, she vaguely heard Elena's phone conversation with Mrs. Lockwood and her argument with Jeremy about giving the watch back. Amelia felt a little bad for Jeremy, but she also thought he was overreacting. It wasn't like the watch would be gone forever - he'd get it back after the party. Amelia kept quiet though as she felt it wasn't her place to say anything. Amelia slipped on the light blue dress that Elena had leant her, and Bonnie helped zip her up. Elena had on a beautiful gold and pink flowery dress and Bonnie was wearing a pretty white patterned dress. When all three of them were ready, they stood in front of the bathroom mirror to take a picture and Amelia felt hadn't felt so happy in a long time. She posed for silly pictures, and made bunny ears behind Bonnie. Amelia laughed as they all stuck their tongues out for the next one.

Amelia was quiet for most of the car ride to the party as she concentrated on building her mental barriers, as Sheila had taught her. She wanted to be able to enjoy the party without feeling overwhelmed. Even so, Amelia was shocked to see so many people at the Lockwood mansion. Amelia and Bonnie stood in line with their arms linked behind Stefan and Elena. She felt bittersweet listening to the two lovebirds talk and laugh. They paused at the entrance and she watched Damon walk off towards the bar as Caroline and Liz shared a tense conversation that she couldn't make out from the doorway.

"Hi, Mayor Lockwood." Elena greeted, shyly.

Mayor Lockwood smiled at them energetically and said, "Hi guys! Come on in, have fun!"

Amelia hung around Bonnie for a while, but the party bored her. She gathered some fancy bread from one of the tables and headed off towards the duck pond. None of the other party goers paid her any attention, but one.

Damon Salvatore sipped on his scotch while he watched the blonde-haired beauty toss bread to the waterfowl. He could hear her giggle and laugh and it amused him that such a small thing brought her joy.

In a flash, he was standing right next to her and Amelia jumped from feeling his proximity so suddenly. She glanced at him, but quickly returned to tossing bread into the pond.

Damon sighed, "I want to apologize to you for being such a world-class jerk the other night when I kissed you - there's no excuse. My therapist says I'm," Damon paused for a moment, "acting out. Trying to punish myself."

Amelia shook her head, not quite believing what he was telling her, "It's all in the past. I don't even want to bring it up."

"I-I should go find Caroline." Amelia turned and started trudging her way back up the hill, trying not to let her heels sink in.

Damon smirked, "What a lovely idea, I'll come with you."

Amelia sighed when he gripped her elbow with his hand, but she couldn't deny that she was having a hard time walking in those heels.

When they finally managed to find Caroline, they also found Stefan and Elena who were upstairs looking at the historical artifacts. They walked in to hear Elena read, "'The Founding Families of Mystic Falls welcomes you to the inaugural Founders Council Celebration.' Wow, look, it's the original guest registry. Look at all of these familiar names: Sheriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood, and… Is that Damon Salvatore? And… Stefan Salvatore?"

"The original Salvatore brothers." Damon chimed smugly, his hand still on her elbow. Amelia stepped away from him, but not before she noticed Caroline glare at her. "Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually."

Stefan shook his head, "We don't need to bore them with stories of the past."

Damon smirked when Elena said, "It's not boring, Stefan. I'd love to hear more about your family."

Caroline looked around, "Well, I'm bored. I wanna dance and _Damon_ won't dance with me." She whined.

Damon shook his head in agreement, "Uh uh."

Caroline continued, "Can I just borrow your date?" She asked looking at Elena.

Elena paused, "Oh, uh…" She chuckled nervously before looking at Stefan.

"I don't really dance." Stefan denied, shaking his head.

Damon interrupted, "Oh, sure he does! You should see him, the waltz, the moonwalk, the jitterbug - he does it all."

"You wouldn't mind, would you Elena?" Caroline asked innocently.

Elena looked uncomfortable, but said, "It's up to Stefan."

"Well, sorry, but I'm not gonna take no for an answer." Caroline said deviously grabbing Stefan's arm and leading him back downstairs towards the dance floor leaving Damon, Elena, and Amelia alone.

There was an awkward pause before Damon walked back towards the original registry. "The Salvatore name was practically royalty in this town," Damon began, "Until the war, there was a battle here-"

"The Battle of Willow Creek. We know, we learned about it in class. Confederate soldiers fired on the church with civilians inside." Amelia interrupted.

"Right. What the history books left out, was that the people that were killed - they weren't there by accident. They were believed to be Union sympathizers so, some of the founders on the Confederacy side back then wanted them rounded up and burned alive. Stefan and Damon had someone they loved very much in that church. And then when they went to rescue them… They were shot. Murdered in cold blood." Damon said, looking into his scotch glass, almost sadly, Amelia thought.

"Who was in the church they wanted to save?" Elena asked curiously.

"A woman… I guess. Doesn't it always come down to the love of a woman?" Damon asked mysteriously.

"How do you know about this anyway? It sounds a little personal." Amelia interjected.

Damon smirked at her. "I'm a bit of a history buff."

"Well, good to know I have someone to help me study when I fail this test coming up." Amelia joked.

There was a quiet moment before Elena began, "Look, I'm sorry that you and Stefan have this thing between you, but I can't get in the middle of it, Damon. I just… I hope you two can work it out." She said neutrally.

Damon was quiet for a moment before saying, "I hope so, too."

Amelia decided to go find her date, Bonnie, and she hoped she wasn't mad at her for ditching her. She came upon her sitting at a lone table with a candle that looked like it had just blown out. Amelia felt the familiar presence of magic conjuring and she saw Bonnie concentrating on the candle before the flame burst back to life. Amelia was proud of her. Bonnie looked around, scared someone could have seen, and quickly blew out the candle.

Amelia sat down next to her. "Never light a fire that you're unprepared to extinguish, Bonnie." She said, thinking about how much Bonnie had been denying her powers lately. Amelia knew that she was curious, but that she wasn't ready to delve in completely just yet.

Bonnie nearly jumped out of her seat, "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Amelia smiled at her and gripped her right hand in her left before moving her hand over the candle. When a flame appeared, Bonnie looked at her wide-eyed. "I-I, wh-what was that? I could _feel_ something radiate from you and something _moved_ inside of me."

"That, Bonnie, is just the beginning." Amelia said vaguely.

Before Bonnie could reply, Elena strode over, away from Stefan and grabbed both of their arms saying, "We need to talk."

Once they were inside, Elena seemed to calm down a little and she explained what had happened between her and Stefan. How she had tried to get her to open up to him and he became defensive and blamed Damon. Bonnie groaned, "This is my fault. I planted doubt. I'm a doubt-planter."

"It's not your fault," Elena grimaced, "I just - I feel terrible because I said I wouldn't get in the middle of it and then that's _exactly_ what I did. And I got all snotty." Elena shook her head.

Mrs. Lockwood strolled over to the trio in a yellow dress that Amelia thought was ugly. "Elena, honey, there you are. I noticed the watch still isn't in the collection." She inquired.

Elena paused for a moment, "Oh, um, I'm sorry Mrs. Lockwood, I, um, I couldn't find it. I, uh, I guess that it's still packed up in my parent's stuff somewhere." Elena lied.

"I see, well please let me know if you do find it." Mrs. Lockwood requested before walking away and not saying a word to Bonnie or Amelia.

Elena excused herself, "I'm gonna head to the ladies room. See you later?"

Amelia and Bonnie agreed. They happened to notice Mrs. Lockwood berating one of the staff. "Look around! What's missing? The flames? The candles? Why aren't they lit? There's matches in the kitchen."

Amelia and Bonnie looked at each other before agreeing, "Bitch."

Bonnie looked around the room absent-mindedly before concentrating on one candle. Amelia pretended like she was ignoring her, but she was really watching her from the corner of her eye. Did Bonnie think her powers were a one time thing or something? When nothing happened, Bonnie started to leave the room, only to notice a candle to her left that was lit. She slowly turned around to see the whole room glowing with candle-lit flame.

That night, Amelia tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. Every time she fell asleep, she woke up gasping, feeling weak, and drained. She felt feverish, and her throat burned like she had drank a bottle of hot sauce. When she closed her eyes, she saw a dark haired man, lying on the floor in a dark room, groaning in pain.

Finally, at about 2:30 in the morning, she couldn't take it anymore. She peeked outside her room to make sure that no one else was around before pulling out her hidden spell book and supplies. Not really having anything in mind, she flipped to random pages and performed the spells that she had supplies for to expend some of her restless energy. She was so focused on her witchcraft that when she sleepily dragged herself to breakfast that morning, Liz looked at her in alarm. "Sweetie! Your face is covered in blood! Did you get another bloody nose last night? Oh, Lia, I'm so sorry - I thought the humidifier had been helping."

Amelia went to the bathroom and indeed noticed what Liz had been saying. There was blood dried onto her nose, outer lips, chin, and even her neck. Amelia scrubbed at her skin vigorously. "I'm sorry, Liz, I hadn't even noticed."

Amelia walked back out to the living room where Liz had been cuddled up on the couch in her pjs watching an 80's movie. Amelia recognized the opening credits of The Breakfast Club and she rather ungracefully flopped down next to her. Amelia pouted up at her, "Were you really going to watch my favorite movie without me?"

Liz chuckled and ruffled Amelia's hair. "Of course not, Lia. I've been waiting for you to wake up so we could spend some time together. I feel like I've barely seen you lately." Liz's face became serious and her lips turned into a soft frown, "Some foster-mom I am, huh?"

Amelia immediately felt waves of guilt radiate from her chest to the tips of her fingers and toes. Liz ran her fingers through Amelia's hair, smoothing it down. "I'm sorry, Liz. I've been so busy with school and work, and, well, everything, I guess. I swear, you've done nothing wrong. I'm just so grateful to have you and Caroline in my life. To have a bed to sleep in, and-"

"Don't start, Lia." Liz said seriously, grasping her hands, "You're just as much of a daughter to me as Caroline is. You don't have to thank me for those things. And I want you to know that I'm so, _so_ proud of you."

Amelia's eyes welled up with unshed tears and she threw her arms around her m-. _Liz_, she corrected.


	7. Chapter 6: You're Undead to Me

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 6: You're Undead to Me**

**September 28, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore spent the days after the Founders party mostly locked inside her house. She woke up early and snuck into the music room. Then, she went to school, and she went to Sheila's house to practice her spell-work. She picked up extra hours at the Mystic Falls Vet Clinic. She still felt unwell and she was still having nightmares of that man trapped in a dark room, but she hadn't mentioned it to anyone. She ignored her friends worried glances and she tried to keep as busy as possible. When she ran out of homework, she completed a project that wasn't due until the end of the semester. When she got out of work, she did chores around the house. When her mind was racing and she couldn't calm down, she went for a run.

On the morning of the 28th, Amelia trailed behind Caroline as she handed out flyers for the "Sexy Suds Car Wash." She was thankful that Caroline hadn't asked her to participate yet, but she figured it was coming anytime now. Amelia stared at her feet as she concentrated on not tripping when Caroline came to a stop. Amelia almost crashed right into her, but she managed to stop at the last second. Amelia looked up and noticed Stefan and Elena looking at her with concern on their faces. Before they could say anything, Caroline said. "Stefan, where's Damon? He has some serious apologizing to do."

Stefan paused and glanced at Amelia before saying, "He's gone, Caroline."

Amelia felt her stomach drop to the floor, but Caroline didn't understand. "When's he coming back?"

Stefan grimaced, "He's not coming back." He paused for a moment and looked at Amelia, "I'm sorry." He said before walking away.

Amelia stared at Stefan's retreating figure, her mind swirling. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Elena had put her hand on Caroline's shoulder. "This is a good thing, Caroline." She said.

Caroline paused for a long moment, a dumbstruck look on her face. "I know that." She responded meekly before the three of them headed to class.

That night Amelia was talking on the phone with Elena. Elena was telling her about how sketchy Stefan had been lately, but how Jeremy had helped him surprise her by cooking her favorite meal - chicken parmesan. "It was so romantic." Elena said dreamily.

Amelia laughed and was about to reply when she glanced up and saw a dark shadow of a man standing behind her in the mirror. Amelia spun around, her heart racing, only to see nothing there.

"Hello? Amelia? You still there? Are you okay?"

Amelia laughed semi-nervously, semi-hysterically as she scoped out the rest of her bedroom. When she found nothing she let out a shaky sigh before replying, "Yeah, sorry. I think my lack of sleep is leading to full-blown hallucinations." Amelia paused as she fingered her talisman nervously, "Listen, let me get off here. I think I'm gonna try to head to bed early." She lied.

Elena said worriedly, "Okay, but call me if you need anything, hun, okay?"

"Thanks." She replied before hanging up.

Amelia couldn't shake the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She went towards her window to shut it and lock it, trying to feel more safe, when she head someone whisper in her ear, "Amelia." She let out a small shriek, but again, no one was there.

She began to mumble a protection spell and she curled up into the corner of her room beside her bed. She spent the night in and out of sleep. She wasn't sure if she heard a crow cawing in her dreams or outside her window. Amelia had that same dream again that night. Only this time, she recognized the man to be Damon Salvatore laying in the dark room. His icy blue eyes seemed to be staring into hers when he croaked, "Help me, Amelia, please…"

Amelia felt like an awful person, but she was relieved when she had managed to avoid Caroline and her Sexy Suds Car Wash propaganda for a full twenty-four hours. However, when she received a frantic phone call from Bonnie, she realized her efforts had been in vain.

"Lia, please! You have to get over here. You know how Caroline gets all bossy… And you _know_ Stefan and Elena will be all lovey-dovey! I'll have no one to talk to!"

Amelia groaned, "C'mon, Bonnie, can't you just make it through a few hours? You know how much I hate these dumb fundraisers… Besides, I wouldn't really fit in with the whole… sexy thing…"

Bonnie scoffed. "Amelia Whitmore. You climb out of bed, you put on that cute little black bikini (that you look _great_ in BTW), and you drive your ass over here!" Amelia heard a click and the dial tone and she groaned in frustration as she searched for her bikini.

About twenty minutes later, Amelia pulled into the car wash in her muddy, beat up, truck. After donating the fee to the fundraiser (she was stalling as long as she could before she had to participate in the car wash), she self-consciously stepped out and shut the door. Tiki, one of Caroline's cheerleaders, walked over to her. Tiki groaned, "Why do I always get the homely ones?" Amelia felt her stomach drop and her face grew warm. "Just to be clear - your truck's a POS. I mean, we can wash it, but it's still a POS." Tiki shrugged.

Bonnie appeared behind Tiki, "You don't have to be rude."

Tiki scoffed, "Rude is mooching off of the Forbes' because her parents are dead and blinding us with her ghostly skin." Tiki looked Amelia up and down before laughing and turning away to fill up her water bucket. Amelia felt herself shaking - was that what people really thought of her? She wrapped her towel a little more tightly around herself.

"You know what, Tiki? Not all of us drive a Mercedes that daddy gave them for their sixteenth birthday. Some of us actually work hard for our things." Amelia said confidently, wishing she was anywhere but there.

Amelia felt magic in the air, but it wasn't coming from her. She turned to Bonnie just in time to see Tiki's hose turn full blast and spray her in the face. Amelia cracked a small smile, but she still felt rather downtrodden. She knew she shouldn't have come to this stupid fundraiser. Amelia was surprised however that Bonnie had begun progressing so much with her magic. Her magic had been quietly dormant for years, and in the past few weeks, it had suddenly made its appearance. Amelia glanced at Bonnie to see the shocked expression on her face. Matt Donovan ran over to Tiki to help her with the hose. "Wet and wild, Tik!" He laughed.

When Bonnie approached her with a sympathetic look on her face, Amelia adverted her eyes and muttered, "Bathroom," before walking towards the school. She didn't want Bonnie's apologies for Tiki, nor her pity. In fact, she'd rather ignore the conversation altogether if she could. Amelia walked into the dimly-lit hallway of the school and she felt her hair stand on end when she felt the warm breath of someone whisper, "Amelia," in her ear.

Amelia closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "You're not real." She whispered to herself. When she opened her eyes, she jumped a little. Damon was standing right in front of her.

"Please, help me." He groaned. Amelia observed the way he was stiff with pain and the yellowish, unhealthy tinge his skin had taken. Amelia could physically feel his pain and it made her nauseous.

"Where are you?" She whispered to him.

He looked at her sadly, and when she blinked, his image was gone. But it was okay, Amelia knew where he was.

When Amelia arrived to the Salvatore Boarding House for the first time, she was out of breath. She was surprised by how _big_ the home was. Amelia thought that she would feel lonely if she ever had a house that large. She walked up to the door and knocked, "Hello?" She called, opening the door and stepping inside. She felt her sense of dread increase. Something wasn't right.

"Damon?" She shouted, wandering further into the house. She could sense him calling out to her and she followed his silent plea down a set of stairs. Amelia stood in front of an old metal door that she had seen before in her dreams. She gripped onto the bars and stood on her toes, peering in. Damon Salvatore sat, leaning against the wall to hold him up. He looked even worse than he had in her dream.

"Damon!" She cried, unlatching the door and barging inside. "What happened to you? Are you okay?" She asked, her hand on his shoulder. Damon seemed to be eyeing her lack of clothing.

"Nice outfit." He joked weakly.

Amelia grimaced. "Shut up." She muttered feeling her neck and face heat up.

Damon eyed her neck. "Please, Amelia. So thirsty…" He croaked leaning towards her.

Amelia stood up and was about to run up the stairs, "Don't move! I'll grab you some water." Amelia noticed a table in the room that she hadn't seen earlier covered in a plant that she thought she recognized…

"That's not what I meant." Damon said, gripping her wrist and pulling it towards him. She noticed that his ring was missing from his hand and she thought that was strange. Amelia saw his face change, and little black veins appeared under his eyes before she felt a sharp pain in her wrist.

Amelia yelled, "No!" And she focused on exploding every blood vessel inside of his head.

Amelia couldn't believe this. He couldn't be a vampire - he just couldn't! Amelia had seen him outside in the daylight a hundred times. Did this mean he was behind all of the 'animal attacks'? Damon released her and clutched his head, groaning.

"This isn't possible. You can't be…" She whimpered, backing away from him, clutching her wrist. She noticed he had started to look more healthy, but the veins under his eyes still terrified her.

Damon pleaded with her, his face still terrifying, and now covered in her blood. "Amelia, please, I didn't mean to. I'm just so _hungry_."

Amelia's wrist throbbed angrily, blood seeping through her fingers and onto the floor. Damon stood up in a blur and suddenly he was standing right in front of her. Amelia stumbled backwards and tripped over the threshold, falling onto her bottom. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. Damon reached down as if to stand her up, but she shuffled away from him. "Stay away!"

Amelia only had one thought just then… _RUN_. She fumbled her way up the steps as fast as her feet could carry her. Her breath came out in shaky gasps. As she rounded the corner, she glanced at Damon out of the corner of her eye and saw that he was gaining on her. Her footsteps grew more frantic, and she threw her arm out behind her, causing a chair to fall over right in front of Damon, tripping him up. A few seconds later, she flung the front door open and tripped onto the porch, skinning up her knees and the palms of her hands as she landed. She flipped around when she heard Damon scream in pain from the sunlight as he covered his face. They sat in silence for a few moments: Amelia, huddled in the warm sunlight, and Damon, panting in the shadows.

"You're a vampire." She stated accusingly.

Damon rolled his eyes, "And you're a witch."

"You killed all of those innocent people!" She shouted.

He chuckled darkly, "No one's really innocent, Amelia." He said as he wiped his face on the sleeve of his shirt. "Besides, didn't you hear?" He paused waiting for her to respond, but she only glared at him. "A mountain lion killed those hikers. The sheriff said so herself. Don't you believe your mom?"

"She's not my mom." She said quickly before walking away from the Salvatore Boarding House and back to the school.

"You can run all you want… I'll always find you!" He called after her.

Amelia felt numb as she jogged back to town. She was unsure of what to do. She knew what she should do. She knew she should carve a stake, incapacitate Damon, and drive it through his heart. The thought of it drove fresh tears down her face. She knew that Damon had killed people. Probably many people. A startling thought occurred to her: how old was Damon, anyway? For all she knew, he could be thirty or he could be three hundred.

What puzzled her the most was one simple question: how could he walk during the day? The sunlight had never seemed to affect him before. So why did it burn him just a few minutes ago? Amelia had never even thought to suspect him as the culprit.

Amelia felt a shriver run down her spine as she realized Stefan Salvatore must be a vampire too.

_God, this is so fucked up_, she thought. She had liked Stefan enough. Enough to trust him with one of her best friends. But, then again, she had trusted Damon with her sister too…

Amelia looked up at the sky when she saw dark storm clouds roll over her and the wind pick up. _Great_, she thought, _how fitting…_ Just then the rain cloud opened up and began pouring. Amelia knew that she needed to get a hold on her emotions. That she needed to send the cloud away and find a way to fix the situation that she was in, but she just didn't know how. The thought of killing Damon left a gaping, bleeding, wound in her chest. But the thought of her not stopping him from killing more innocent people made her sob even harder.

How could she be attracted to a serial killer? What was wrong with her?

Amelia stopped walking and closed her eyes. She pushed her soaking wet hair out of her face and when she opened her eyes again and the clouds were gone.

However, she felt a new panic in her heart when she noticed the lilac discoloration of the sky to the west. She began to run as she realized she wasn't going to make it back to town before dark.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_… !" She muttered. Her legs were aching and she felt a headache coming on. She glanced down at her shoulders and noticed they were tinged a bright pink.

_Great_, she thought, _I'm stupid_ and _I'm sunburned. _

Amelia guessed that she was about a mile from town when the sun sank over the horizon. Every snapped branch sounded like footsteps and every caw of the crows sounded like Damon mocking her.

Amelia screamed as she felt two strong arms grab a hold of her from behind and lift her feet off the ground. She felt Damon's lips on her ear and she shivered when he whispered, "I told you I'd find you."

Damon set her down and Amelia tried to give him a witchy migraine when she realized… that she couldn't. Her hands flew up to her neck only to find it bare.

"Looking for something?" Damon taunted.

Amelia spun around, eyes wide, to see her talisman swinging from his outstretched hand. The same hand that his ring usually sat on. "Damon… give it back." She whispered. She felt lost. Like she had lost a part of herself. It was like she had lost an important sense - like she had gone blind.

"Fine," He said, reaching over to hand it to her. She lunged towards him and he yanked his hand back. "But first, I need to make sure you won't go cry wolf to the townsfolk."

Amelia crossed her arms and lied, "I wouldn't do that."

Damon smirked at her and said, "Yeah, right."

Amelia felt so vulnerable. She knew that he could compel her - make her do whatever he wanted to at anytime now. He could kill her and she would have no way of stopping him.

"How do you know about me? About my… powers?" Amelia demanded.

"I've been around for a long time, Lia. Besides, I can't give away all of my secrets can I?" He smirked.

"I don't understand!" She cried, pulling at her hair. "I've walked outside in the sun with you before! But now it burns you?" Amelia felt like she should know the answer, but she just couldn't remember.

"My ring… It was charmed to protect me from the sun." He replied, grimacing, "I'm _so_ gonna kick Stefan's ass."

The next thing she knew she felt his leg kick out under her knees and she lost her balance. She squeaked and he caught her bridal style.

"Show off." Amelia muttered. She didn't need to look to know that he was smirking.

"Hold on tight, Hermione." He joked before taking off running with her.

Amelia held her eyes shut tightly after the world became a blur. Her stomach felt nauseous. Amelia opened her eyes and she was shocked to see that they were in the Boarding House. She glanced around the extravagant bedroom, looking at the silk sheets and an empty bottle of Bourbon on the floor.

"So… This is where you lure all of your sorority girls." She joked meekly, trying to think of something to say.

"Sorority girls, MILFs… blondes… I like a variety." He winked at her. Amelia felt herself turn scarlet and she turned away from him, walking down the stairs. If only she could get her talisman back… Amelia walked into something solid and rubbed her nose when she realized Damon had sped in front of her.

Amelia frowned at him. "That's really creepy, you know." She said before pushing past him. Amelia searched the room for something to distract herself with. She wouldn't allow herself to be friendly with him. All she had to do was convince him she wouldn't tell and then she could go crawl in bed and forget that this terrible day had ever existed.

Amelia's eyes landed on a beautiful, antique piano and she released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. "Oh." She whispered.

Damon glanced down at her, noticing what she was staring at. "This is the piano my mother taught me to play on." He said quietly, almost like he was afraid she would make fun of him.

"It's beautiful…" She whispered, trailing her fingertips across the cool surface. She sat down on the bench next to him and was about to play when she paused, "Do you mind?" She asked, worriedly glancing up at him. Maybe she had overstepped. He searched her face and swallowed before shaking his head. She looked up at the sheet music resting above her and pressed a few keys before a sharp pain went through her wrist. "Ouch." She whispered, clutching her wrist to her body. The pain reminded her of what had just happened a few hours ago.

Damon cleared his throat, "I really am… sorry… about that. You don't understand what it's like - being starved for days." The words sounded strange coming from his mouth… Almost like he didn't say them very often.

Amelia stared at her scraped up hands and said quietly, "After my dad died, my mom shut down. She forgot to shower… pay the light bill. She didn't go grocery shopping. I lived off one meal a day - school lunches - for weeks… The weekends were terrible…" She trailed off feeling dumb for sharing so much. Needing to distract herself from memories that were resurfacing and from the way Damon was looking at her, she began to play a few warm ups - ignoring the pain in her wrist. She recognized the song Damon had played last and she played along to it, humming the words under her breath.

When she had finished her song and the last note hung in the air, Damon slid to the middle, pushing her to the side and he began playing a beautiful Beethoven piece.

While he played, Amelia found herself growing curious.

"How old are you, Damon?"

He continued to play without missing a beat, "I was twenty five when I was turned… That was in 1864."

Amelia tried to hide her surprise. "So basically what you're saying … is that you're really a creepy old man?" She giggled.

Damon raised an eyebrow at her, "Whatever you say, Jailbait."

Amelia glared at him. "So, what am I suppose to do? Hang out here all night? I had plans." She lied.

"No you didn't." He said not looking up from his sheet music.

Amelia huffed and decided if she had to be here, at least she'd get free alcohol from it. She pulled out a bottle of coconut rum and headed to the kitchen. She was happily surprised to find a well-stocked kitchen. "Let me guess - Stefan does the grocery shopping?" She asked pouring the rum into a tall glass of coke.

"Duh." Damon lied, thinking about Zach's dead body he had temporarily stashed in the broom closet.

Amelia left the kitchen and laid down on the couch, sipping on her drink thoughtfully. "You hurt my sister a lot, you know." She said quietly.

"I thought she wasn't your sister." He replied sarcastically.

"Damon." She said warningly.

"Amelia." He mimicked in a high-pitched, girlish voice.

Amelia threw a pillow at him. "Shut up! I don't sound like that."

Damon stood up and began to walk to the front door. "Stay here. I'm going out." He commanded.

Amelia glared at him, but he only smirked at her and waved her talisman in the air. "If you kill anyone I'm gonna rip up your sheets."

Damon sped in front of her and she jumped. He knelt down in front of her and looked at her with a frightening, icy glare. "Don't threaten me." He said coldly. And then he was gone.

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone fore the reviews/follows/favorites. If you have any constructive criticism, please let me know. Any guesses for Amelia's future? ;) -TeamComrade11**

P.S. - Disclaimer for the story: I do not own The Vampire Diaries!


	8. Chapter 7: Lost Girls

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 7: Lost Girls**

**September 30, 2009**

After Damon had left, Amelia snooped around his bedroom for a while, bored. She pulled her hair back in a messy bun and she slipped on one of Damon's dark red, button up shirts. She was freezing in just her bikini top, and she didn't feel comfortable showing that much skin.

When Damon slipped back into the house smelling of wood smoke and carrying an unconscious Vicki Donovan, he found Amelia asleep on the couch and wearing his shirt. He laid Vicki on the couch opposite of her and pressed a towel to her neck. He sat down next to Amelia and studied the way she shifted and tensed in her sleep. She didn't look very peaceful. He took her necklace out of his pocket and gently slipped it back over her neck. Damon thought about how he had found Vicki isolated from her group at the cemetery. He had attacked her and drank his fill before impulsively deciding to bring her back with him. He doubted that her druggie friends had even noticed her absence. He thought about his phone call with Stefan, and how he wouldn't give him his ring back. _God_, he was annoying.

When Amelia woke up that next morning it was to the sound of Damon's voice. "Where are you Stefan? I'm trapped at the house and getting really bored and really impatient and I don't do bored and impatient. Bring me my ring!" He exclaimed before hanging up his phone. Amelia squinted up at him through the sunlight peeking through the curtains. It was then that she noticed Vicki Donovan sleeping on the other couch with a bloody towel pressed to her neck.

"Dammit!" Damon yelled frustrated. "Oh, don't get blood on the couch - please!" Damon sighed walking over towards Vicki. He hadn't noticed that Amelia was awake yet. Damon sat down next to Vicki and peeked at her wound before saying rather proudly, "I got you good, didn't I? Well, you're not gonna be any fun today." He sighed before taking a swig of his bourbon. Damon seemed to contemplate something before standing up and saying, "I'm so gonna regret this." Amelia was confused when he bit into his own arm and pressed it to her mouth. "Drink up… Drink it up… Don't drip. Good girl, that's it." He cooed.

"Damon!" Amelia yelled, sitting up. "What the hell are you doing to her?!"

"Healing her." He said in a "duh" voice.

"Well you wouldn't need to heal her if you didn't try to eat her!" She said petulantly.

"Nice suggestion. So you would propose I just kill her then?" He asked sarcastically.

Amelia groaned and pressed a pillow to her face, falling back into the couch. She proceeded to glare at the ceiling for about a half an hour, only glancing over when Vicki strutted down the stairs in her underwear. "Man, that shower was so great!" She felt at her neck, looking for her wound before turning around and asking, "What did you give me?"

"Some blood. You loved it." Damon said dully.

"I did? Wait, I'm confused. How did I get here?"

Damon stared into her eyes, "We met in the woods. You were drunk. I attacked you. Then, I brought you here and gave you some blood - you loved it - and now we're going to party until the sun goes down."

"Okay!" Vicki said excitedly. "But first, can I have another hit? That blood was so good." She asked, a little more shyly.

Amelia looked at them wide-eyed. "Damon! Did you just… compel her?"

Damon gave her a "duh" look.

"Have you ever… done that to me?" Amelia asked, frightened.

"No." He lied and then he turned back to Vicki and said deviously, "Only if I can." Amelia watched in disgust and fascination as Damon bit into his wrist offering it to her before they both began blood sharing. Amelia was shocked to find that she felt a little jealous. How much did he like Vicki?

Amelia rubbed her wrist, wishing that it would stop hurting. Damon noticed what she was doing and he gestured his bleeding wrist to her and raised his eyebrows. Amelia paused, looking at him wide-eyed before shaking her head no.

A few minutes later, Vicki had turned up the music and was flying around the room dancing. Damon grabbed Amelia's hand and she shrieked playfully. She was surprised at herself, but she laughed and danced with them even though she didn't think she was very good at it. She could feel their excitement and it pulled her out of her rightfully sulky mood.

"I'm so over Tyler! So over him. I knew from the beginning that I was only a piece of ass to him but I thought maybe if he got to know me better we might be something more." Vicki yelled twirling around. "But no, now Jeremy on the other hand, that's all he's ever seen in me is something more - and I like that!" She said rolling on the floor. Amelia poured the three of them a shot and Vicki skipped over to do hers. Amelia clinked her shot glass to Damon's, linked arms with him, and poured it down her throat.

Damon coughed a little, "Jeremy? Elena's brother?"

"Yeah! Yeah, so Elena used to date my brother and they were always together so Jeremy would always be hanging around and crushing on me and - hey! Why don't you have a girlfriend? You're like totally cool and so hot." Vicki rambled, out of breath.

"I know." Damon said arrogantly.

Amelia threw her arm around Vicki's shoulders and whispered in her ear comically, feeling a little tipsy, "It's because he swings for the other side."

"Hey!" Damon protested.

"Don't you wanna be in love?" Vicki asked him dreamily.

"I've been in love." Damon sighed, "It's painful, pointless, and overrated."

"Except when it isn't!" Vicki laughed, breathlessly as the three of them looped arms and ran in a circle.

"No more talking - let's dance!" Damon said sweeping Amelia off her feet and into a waltz-like dance move before throwing her on the couch and dancing with Vicki, too. Amelia shrieked, but she was laughing. This was the most fun she had had in a long time.

She watched Damon and Vicki dance some more while she took swigs from Damon's liquor bottle. Being irresponsible was fun. Suddenly, Damon turned into a blur and he was standing on top of the bannister, dancing. The three somehow made it up to the bedroom and Damon started throwing things on the floor as they danced. Amelia pulled out of her stupor when he broke a glass on the floor and didn't even care. "Damon!" She said, shocked. She went over to him, careful of the glass, and saw that he was staring at a picture. Amelia was so confused. It looked like a picture of Elena dressed up in old clothing but it said Katherine at the bottom…

"I don't understand… How is that possible…" She trailed off coming to the realization.

"I don't know." Damon said quietly. The way he looked at the picture made her chest ache.

Even though her head felt foggy, she suddenly realized that she didn't feel so empty inside. That Damon's hidden pain was radiating throughout her chest. Her hands flew up to her chest in surprise and she fingered her fire opal talisman. "I need to go home." She said quietly watching Vicki jump around on his bed, not feeling so fired up anymore. Damon continued to look at his picture, but he reached into his pocket and handed her back her phone. She noticed that she had half a dozen texts from Liz. "Ugh… She's gonna kill me." Amelia groaned turning to leave.

As Amelia stepped into the hallway, she heard Damon shout, "If you see Stefan, tell him to give me my ring back!"

Amelia didn't reply, but she could feel her heart pounding as she finally walked out into the safety of the sunlight. She felt so ashamed of herself. She shouldn't be attracted to Damon. She shouldn't have fun with him._ He's a vampire… a murderer… a monster,_ she thought quietly.

Amelia pulled out her cell phone, feeling exhausted and trying to figure out who to call. Finally, she sighed and dialed.

"Yello'?" Caroline Forbes answered, bored, looking at her nails.

"Care! Can you come get me? I really need a ride."

"You've been too busy to answer my texts, but you want a ride? Where are you?" Caroline asked pettily.

"I-I'm outside the Salvatore Boarding House." She admitted, starting to realize that maybe she should have called someone else.

Caroline was silent for a moment. "You're hooking up with Damon? You've got to be fucking kidding me." She said before hanging up.

Amelia closed her eyes and groaned in frustration before beginning her long run back to her truck.

**A/N Thanks for reading! As always, I don't own the Vampire Diaries, although I would like to own Damon ;) I would appreciate any feedback! -TeamComrade11**


	9. Chapter 8: The Art of the Fall

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 8: The Art of the Fall**

**Mid-October**

Amelia Whitmore spent the next few weeks after the fiasco at Damon's isolating herself. Liz had grounded her for disappearing. Caroline was still mad at her, even though she had sworn to her that she wasn't hooking up with Damon and that it was all just a huge misunderstanding. Bonnie was MIA, but Sheila had told her on the phone that Bonnie had finally come to terms with being a witch and that she had started explaining their history to her. Elena was recovering from her breakup with Stefan (which Amelia thought was probably for the best since he was a vampire). Amelia was especially avoiding Damon since he had kidnapped her and turned Vicki into a vampire. Amelia was still in shock that she had spent so much time with two vampires and hadn't even known. Sure, she had gotten a few weird vibes from them, but she also got weird vibes from the janitor. Now that she had experienced what the "vampire feel" felt like (or so Sheila had said), she figured she'd be able to recognize it in the future.

Amelia was working a rather slow shift at Mystic Falls Vet Clinic that afternoon when Damon Salvatore walked through the door, a smug grin on his face. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me." She groaned, receiving a sideways look from her coworker.

"Nice to see you, too." Damon replied leaning on the desk with his elbows.

"How can I help you sir?" She asked through her clenched teeth. How did he even know that she worked there?

"Yes, I'd like to purchase some flea meds, please."

Amelia dropped her act, "You don't have any pets!"

Damon gasped, "I can't have Fluffy getting fleas now can I?"

Amelia took in a deep breath, and even though she knew he was just being a jerk, she looked up at him and asked, "Did you want a topical medication, or an oral medication?"

"I always prefer oral." Damon winked at her.

Amelia ignored him and went out back to grab his medication while she muttered under her breath, "Stupid, jerk, asshole, vampire…"

When she returned to the counter, he said, "I heard that."

"Heard what?" She asked innocently, putting his charges into the computer and pulling up his invoice. "That'll be $12.99."

Damon whistled, and handed her a twenty. Amelia looked at his ring with more interest, noticing the trace of magic that it carried. "Keep the change." He said as he left the building, leaving the medication on the counter.

After she had finished her shift, she walked out to her truck in the dark, only to notice a familiar figure sitting in the bed of her truck.

"Why're you stalking me?" She called out to Damon.

"Stefan's on Vicki-sitting duty tonight, so I figured I'd get out of the house for a bit." He replied.

Amelia realized that he was bored. She hopped up onto her truck next to him. "If you hadn't been a jackass and ruined her life in the first place you wouldn't have to 'Vicki-sit.'" She replied swinging her feet as she looked up at the stars. "Besides, don't you have any other friends you can stalk?"

When he was silent, she realized that she had just implied that they were friends, but she hoped he hadn't noticed. She also realized that she was probably right about him not having other friends when he didn't say anything.

Amelia hopped down and went to sit in the drivers seat, starting the engine. She was feeling impulsive, even though she knew she would probably regret being Damon's friend. She leaned out her window and yelled, "Are you coming or what?"

Before she had finished leaning back into her car he was sitting next to her. She jumped and glared at him. "That's so creepy." She said as she put on her seat belt and put her truck into gear.

Damon ignored her. "Where are we going?"

"What, so you're the only one allowed to kidnap people?" She joked even though she didn't think it was very funny that he had basically held her hostage a few weeks ago.

"Why do you work there?" He asked her, looking out the window.

"Because I love animals. When I graduate, I want to become a veterinarian and I figured this was as good a place as any to get experience." She replied honestly. "Whitmore College up in McKinley has a good pre-vet program. Plus, it was founded by my family, so I'll probably go there… If I can get a scholarship, anyway." She rambled

"Whitmore college, huh?" He commented, like he knew something that she didn't.

"Yeah, why?" She frowned.

"No reason…" He trailed off.

"Does Elena know that you're vampires?" Amelia asked.

Damon raised his eyebrows at her, "Why do you think she broke up with Stefan?"

Amelia frowned. She had figured that was probably what happened, but she hadn't wanted to jump to conclusions. "How's he doing, anyway?" She asked casually.

"More mopey than usual, but babysitting Vicki seems to help keep his mind off things." Damon replied.

They were silent for a few moments and Amelia wondered why he even hung out around her. Amelia pulled into the driveway and turned off her engine. "Caroline's at Elena's house tonight, and Liz is working late so no one should bother us." She said, hopping out of her truck and walking onto the porch. She slung her bag over her shoulder and scooped up one of the large pumpkins sitting there. "And I swear to God if you make some dumb innuendo I'm going to hurt you." She said managing to unlock the door and step inside. "Grab the other pumpkin." She told him as she set her stuff down on the kitchen table and turned on the light.

He paused at the door, the pumpkin resting strangely in his arm. "Aren't you going to invite me inside?" He teased.

Amelia glared at him. "I know Caroline has already invited you in, you jerk. Otherwise I wouldn't let you inside of my house." She turned and went back to the kitchen, grabbing a few bowls and carving knives.

He followed her inside and clutched at his heart saying, "Ouch," dramatically. She chose the wide, fat pumpkin and rinsed it off, leaving Damon with the tall lean pumpkin. Then, she carved out a hole in the top. Damon merely stared at her. "Why're we doing this?"

Amelia popped the top off and began the tedious process of gutting out her pumpkin. "Because it's fun. Fall is my favorite season, and every year me and Caroline carve our pumpkins together, but thanks to _someone_, it doesn't look like that's going to happen this year."

Damon laughed, "Oh, that's right! Caroline thinks we're 'hooking up.'"

Amelia felt a little hurt. Did Damon think that was such a preposterous idea? Not that it mattered to her or anything… "How'd you find out about that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Vicki heard it from Jeremy who heard it from Elena who heard it from Caroline." He said, acting like he was bored as he popped the top off his pumpkin.

"_Wow_, you must be really bored if you're resorting to high school drama." Amelia teased, flicking a slimy pumpkin seed at him that landed in his hair.

"Hey, watch it!" Damon exclaimed, flinging one right back at her.

Amelia decided to be the bigger person so her kitchen didn't end up destroyed. Once they had both scooped out their pumpkins, she instructed him on the menial task of sorting out the pumpkin seeds from the pulp so that she could roast them. Damon groaned, but did as she asked anyway.

They worked in near silence for a few minutes, listening to the alternative rock station that she had put on. Amelia jumped when she felt soft fur rub up against her leg. "Merlin! You scared me." She said looking down to peer at her black cat. It was hard to see him in the shadow of her table, but she could clearly make out his bright green eyes.

Damon raised an eyebrow, "Merlin? Really? Could you get any cornier?"

Amelia shrugged, a little embarrassed. "It was between that and 'Magic', but I thought that might be a little to obvious." She said, collecting the pair's bowl of pumpkin seeds and spreading it out on a sheet pan. Damon watched her as she sprinkled salt on the seeds and put them in the oven.

Amelia clapped her freshly washed hands together, "Now! Time for the fun part!" She exclaimed. She handed him one of the carving knives before setting out to carve a face into her pumpkin. She noticed Damon trying to peer at her work. "Ah, ah!" She protested, hiding it from him.

Damon pouted, "What am I suppose to carve?"

Amelia shrugged, "Get creative."

Damon thought for a few moments before he started carving. They worked in silence as Amelia worked carefully and Damon worked quickly. Amelia wriggled out the triangle eyes she had carved and tossed them into the guts pile.

When Damon had finished, he spun his around to show her. "Voila! Behold my work of art." He joked. Amelia felt a wide grin creep up on her face as she looked at the smiling jack-o-lantern face with a witches hat carved out over it's eyes. Amelia started laughing boisterously and she spun her pumpkin around to show him her finished vampire jack-o-lantern, fangs and all. Damon started laughing, too. Amelia pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled her chair closer to him. "What're you doing?" He asked.

"I'm normally not one for pictures, but these masterpieces need to be immortalized." She joked. She handed him his pumpkin and told him to smile before looking into her phone and snapping the picture. She looked it over. She was holding her pumpkin proudly and smiling at the camera. Damon held his pumpkin more loosely, and he was looking at her in amusement. The timer to the oven went off, interrupting them, and Amelia ran over to take out their pumpkin seeds to cool.

Amelia went back to the table to start cleaning up. When she picked up her knife, her hand slipped and she cut a deep gash into the fleshy part of her left palm. "Ow, ow, ow." Amelia hissed, cradling her hand. Amelia glanced up and her heart took off racing as she saw Damon's face.

"Damon…" She warned, backing away from him.

Damon grimaced, and the dark veins in his face disappeared. "I'm fine. How's your hand?"

She rinsed her hand off in the sink, wincing at the stinging sensation. "It hurts. It'll be gone in a few hours though."

"It looks pretty deep," He disagreed. "I think you might need stitches."

Amelia groaned, "I'm fine, Damon. Help me bandage it up though, if you're so worried." She said pulling out the supplies from the cupboard and sitting back down at the table. Damon dug through the supplies before pulling out alcohol wipes, some butterfly bandages, and gauze wrap.

Damon took her hand gingerly and cleaned the wound with an alcohol wipe. Amelia tensed up at the stinging sensation, but she kept quiet. Amelia watched him while he applied the butterfly bandages, and then wrapped the gauze around her palm to keep the wound clean and dry.

Amelia swallowed, "Thanks." She felt awkward, so she cleaned up her mess without looking at him. When she turned around, she realized that he was gone, and she felt a little disappointed. After she finished cleaning up, she brought their jack-o-lanterns outside, and put lit candles inside of them.

That next morning, she dropped off half of her pumpkin seeds at the Boarding House.

**A/N: Thank you guys for the new follows and favorites! I would really love to here some more feedback and where you think this story is going! As always I do not own TVD! -TeamComrade11**


	10. Chapter 9: Haunted

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 9: Haunted**

**October 31, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore and Bonnie Bennett sat in Amelia's bedroom as she tried to teach Bonnie how to do a simple locator spell.

"Does Grams know you're showing me this?" Bonnie asked nervously as Amelia laid out an ancient-looking dagger next to a map of Mystic Falls and it's surrounding towns.

Amelia rolled her eyes. "I love Sheila to death, but she can be a little extreme when it comes to learning the history before practicing magic."

Amelia passed Bonnie her mother's Deveraux grimoire. "This is super simple. All you need to do is spill a few drops of your blood onto the map and say the incantation."

Bonnie wrinkled her nose, "Why does it have to be my blood?" She asked.

Amelia replied patiently, "Because you're Sheila's relative, and we're practicing the spell on her. Don't worry, you'll heal quickly."

"Fine," Bonnie sighed before taking the dagger and tentatively cutting into her hand. "Ow," She winced.

Amelia looked at her expectedly and Bonnie began to read, "Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras, Sequita Sanguines, Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous."

They waited a moment, but nothing happened, just as Amelia had expected. "You need to really concentrate. Imagine Sheila's face, and her personality. Look for her with your mind. Go on, try again." She encouraged.

Bonnie took a deep breath and concentrated on her grandmother. "Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras, Sequita Sanguines, Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous!"

Amelia smiled as the blood moved across the map and landed on the local grocery store.

Bonnie looked up at her and smiled, "Wow." She said breathlessly just before a glass resting on the night stand shattered into a million pieces.

Amelia laughed as Bonnie looked at her apologetically, "Oops."

Amelia was staring at her bunsen burner, the image of her father's destroyed body dancing in the flames.

"Amelia?" Her lab partner, Brandon, was looking at her worriedly, his hand on her shoulder.

Amelia flinched and the flame shot up several inches before burning out. She frowned and turned off the gas, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Sorry, I'm just kinda tired today, I guess." She lied, looking back down at her handout. They were suppose to be heating their water for the upcoming experiment.

Brandon was a cute soccer player that she had known since she had gone to Mystic Falls. She use to hang out with him sometimes when she was dating Tyler. They had been randomly paired up in class, but she was glad that they were partners. As much as she loved science, even she grew bored after long lectures. Flicking wads of paper at each other made it a little easier to sit through.

"Well, you'd better wake up for the Halloween party tonight!" He laughed, getting started on their experiment.

Amelia grimaced, "I'm not sure if I'm going this year."

Brandon looked extremely disappointed. "Lia, you have to go." He said giving her his big, brown, puppy eyes. "C'mon, how can you turn down this face?"

Amelia sighed, "Okay, fine."

"Great." He winked at her. "It's a date." He said before leaning down to write notes.

Amelia felt herself blush as she realized he had just asked her out.

Amelia, Caroline, and Bonnie were all getting ready for the Halloween party at the Forbes' home. Amelia admired her tight, black leggings and her "Pink Ladies" jacket in the mirror. Her hair was curled in tight ringlets around her face, and she had on much more makeup than she was comfortable with, but the other girls had insisted she looked straight out of the fifties. Amelia sat on her bed, reading for her english assignment, as she waited for the other girls to finish. Somewhat ironically, they were both going as witches.

"What if no one knows who I am?" Amelia asked, somewhat worried.

Bonnie gasped, "Then they obviously have no taste! 'Grease' is, like, one of my favorite movies."

The doorbell rang and Bonnie and Caroline squealed. Caroline hugged Amelia, "I'm so excited for you! Brandon is like, totally, hot! I can't believe I thought you were hooking up with Damon." She rolled her eyes.

Amelia took a deep breath and walked down the stairs to see Liz talking to Brandon and she became instantly embarrassed.

"Absolutely no drugs, or alcohol, young man, do you understand me?" She asked looking intimidating in her Sheriff's uniform.

"Yes, ma'am." He said politely.

"That's yes, _Sheriff_, to you." She emphasized glaring at him

"Liz!" Amelia said, embarrassed, tugging Brandon outside. Liz called after them. "And have her home by midnight!"

Brandon turned back to Liz, "Yes, ma - Sheriff!" He stuttered, allowing Amelia to drag him away from the porch.

Amelia groaned. "I'm so sorry. That was super embarrassing." She said getting a chance to admire his costume. He was wearing tattered clothing with fake blood splashed on his clothes. There was a strategically placed gash that showed off his toned abs. "Let me guess: zombie?" She asked.

Brandon smirked, "Of course. But, what's a 'Pink Lady?'" He asked, confused.

Amelia gave him a fake smile and hopped in his car.

When they got to the party, there were already a lot of people there. As always, the school was decorated extremely well. There were spider webs and scary decorations everywhere. Amelia noticed a guy laying on a table with spaghetti covering his abdomen as 'zombies' ate his 'guts.'

Tyler Lockwood approached them with drinks in his hands. He didn't seem to like that they were there together. Tyler smiled falsely at them, "Cider anyone? It's the Lockwood special."

Brandon took one of the drinks and high fived Tyler. "Thanks, bro!" He said as they clinked cups and began to chug. Amelia looked at his gladiator costume, but to her it just looked like an excuse to not wear a shirt.

"Woah! Do you want to be hungover until Thanksgiving?" She asked, chuckling awkwardly.

"Why'd you bring the buzzkill?" Tyler jeered.

Brandon didn't say anything. "Fine. " Amelia retorted. "Have a lovely evening." She seethed, snatching the other cider from Tyler's hand and walking away.

When Amelia bumped into Stefan, she was still fuming, but she calmed down when she saw the expression on his face. "What is it? What's wrong?" She questioned worriedly.

Stefan grimaced. "Vicki is here somewhere. I'm worried about her - she's not in control of herself. If you see her or Jeremy, come find me okay? And be careful. She's not herself." He said, striding off to look some more.

Amelia was riddled with anxiety. She threw her drink away, no longer interested in being impaired. She wasn't sure how they would ever find her. It was so loud with the music, and the scary sound effects, and the craziness of the party. There were people everywhere and it was dark and the lights were flashing. She wished she could perform a spell to find her, but she didn't have the supplies that she needed. She made a mental note to ask Sheila about a short notice locator spell.

Amelia wandered the party for another ten minutes or so when she saw Elena in a nurse's costume run past her. Amelia jogged after her, trying not to lose her in the crowd. Had she found Vicki? Amelia followed Elena outside and her heart began to pound when she heard her yell, "Vicki! No!"

"Elena!" Amelia shouted as she rounded the corner. Amelia watched as Elena tried to hit Vicki with a piece of wood. The wood shattered on her harmlessly and Vicki sent Elena flying into a pile of wood and rubbish. "Elena!" Amelia screamed again, running over to her and helping her up. In her adrenaline-fueled rush, she had just noticed Jeremy freaking out several yards away from them next to the buses. Vicki came at Elena again in a blur. Amelia raised her hands towards her and concentrated on making all of the blood vessels in her brain explode. Vicki began to scream and she clutched at her head.

"Vicki!" Jeremy shouted, unsure of what was a going on.

And then she was gone. The four of them looked around at each other in silence for a moment, heart rates and fear elevated. Stefan suddenly appeared. "Go, get inside. Go!" He told them. Elena took off running for the entrance, grabbing Jeremy with her. Amelia hesitated, but went in their direction as well. Just as Elena reached the door, Vicki appeared, shoving Jeremy away and grabbing onto Elena. Elena screamed in fear and pain as Vicki ripped into her neck angrily.

Amelia didn't even think. All she felt was fear for her friend. She screamed, "No!" as she raised her hand towards Vicki and watched in horror as she was engulfed in flames. Elena stumbled away, afraid and in shock. Vicki flailed and screamed and screamed until she could scream no longer, and she lay dead on the pavement. The flames disappeared, and she lay there smoldering.

"Vicki! Vicki, Vicki! Vicki!" Jeremy yelled as he ran towards her. Stefan grabbed onto him and held him back.

Elena looked at Stefan. "Get him out of here." She commanded. Stefan began pulling Jeremy away and he dialed a number on his phone before saying. "I need your help."

Elena and Amelia sat in near silence over Vicki's body. Amelia held Elena's hand while she cried and she stared at Vicki, unseeing.

A few moments later, a voice called from behind them. "You should go, I got this." Damon Salvatore said, confidently - almost as if he were amused by the situation.

Elena stood up and looked at him accusingly. "You did this. This is your fault."

Amelia stared at her hands and whispered. "I killed her."

"You confuse me for someone with remorse." Damon said, bored.

Elena tried to shove him, but he stood tall. She tried to slap him, but he caught her hand.

"None of this matters to me. None of it." He emphasized to her.

"People die around you. How can it not matter? It matters and you know it." Elena slapped him.

"I killed her." Amelia said at a normal volume, trying to keep her hands from shaking.

Damon glared at Elena for a few moments. Elena looked frightened, but she didn't run. "Mm." Damon murmured, looking extremely pissed. "You need to leave. Your wounds are bleeding, and _you need to leave_." He threatened. Elena glanced at Amelia but stood up and walked off.

Amelia was finding it difficult to take in a normal breath. "I killed her!" She said more loudly this time, tears blurring her vision.

Amelia buried her head in her hands and began to cry. She felt so out of control.

Damon looked at her awkwardly before ducking when all of the bus windows exploded. "Woah! Take it easy, there." He said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I don't even know what happened!" Amelia burst, feeling like she might explode if she didn't tell someone. "I was just so worried about Elena, and when she bit into her neck… I just panicked! I should have had more control. I should have done something else - anything else! I could have just incapacitated her and she wouldn't be… wouldn't be dead."

"You should go catch up with Elena. I'll take care of this." He told her.

Amelia looked up at him. "I'm the one who did this… I should be the one to bury her."

Damon reached down and helped her off the ground. He put her hands on his shoulders and commanded, "Go home, Amelia."

Amelia thought it over for a moment, looking into his icy blue eyes. Eyes that looked concerned, but that probably weren't. Amelia took a shaky breath and tried to pull herself together. "Okay."


	11. Chapter 10: 162 Candles

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 10: 162 Candles**

**November 1, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore laid in her bed staring at the ceiling for most of the day as her phone pinged with worried messages.

Elena: Sorry I didn't check in with u last night. Everything was so crazy with Jeremy. Damon took away his memory of the night, so don't mention anything to him. :/

Bon Bon: So, I know Grams said I shouldn't tell anyone about… what we r… but I just had 2 tell Elena! Does she think I'm a freak now? :(

Matt: hey hav u heard anything from vicki? going down to the station for questioning today…

Care Bear: Hey! Party at the grill 2nite! You better be there biotch ;) And if you see Bonnie, tell her to give my necklace back!

Damon: Hey, witch girl! Party at the grill tonight. I'll buy you a drink ;)

Amelia: How did I get your number?

Damon: That's for me to know and for you to…

Amelia: No thanks "vamp boy." After everything that happened last night a party just doesn't seem right.

Damon: OK, I'll come clean. I asked Caroline to throw the party because it's Stefan's birthday and I know he won't tell anyone. I hope his friends will show up. Oh well, if not, what's another lonely birthday for him… :'(

Amelia: … You're such a jerk…

Damon: I'll be there in 5 ;)

Amelia: I'm getting in the shower. I need more than "5".

Damon: Oooh kinky

Amelia: :(

Amelia sighed and hopped in the shower. If she had to go to this stupid thing, Damon could wait as long as she wanted.

Amelia was singing along to her favorite Nirvana playlist as she rinsed the shampoo out of her hair when she heard Damon's voice. "I never took you to be a Cobain fan."

Amelia poked her head out of the shower, alarmed to see that he was leafing through her things on the counter. "Damon! Get out!"

Damon turned to her. "Fine, fine. No need to be so modest. I already looked through your underwear drawer." He winked at her. Amelia glared at him in anger and he dropped to his knees, clutching his head before glaring at her and disappearing in a blur. Amelia heard him call out from the other side of the bathroom door. "_Someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the broomstick today!"

Amelia finished her shower in a poor mood, muttering obscenities to herself. She threw her hair up in a pony tail, got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and applied light makeup before heading back to her bedroom. Damon was lying on her bed, reading one of her favorite books that had been sitting on her nightstand.

Damon looked up at her, "To Kill a Mockingbird, huh? Shouldn't you be reading Twilight, or something?" He mocked.

Amelia glared back at him, "Shouldn't _you_ be reading Twilight, or something?"

Damon frowned, "Ha, ha." He mocked. Setting the book back down on her night stand. "Let's go. I have diabolical plans to see through." He joked, or at least, Amelia thought he was joking.

Amelia and Damon rode in silence for a few minutes before Amelia's curiosity got the best of her. "What're you doing in Mystic Falls, Damon? You could be anywhere in the world if you wanted to."

Damon pondered her question for a moment before replying vaguely, "I have some things I need to take care of. Besides, Mystic Falls has always been my home."

Amelia said nothing in reply and they walked into The Grill a few moments later. Amelia saw Elena and began to walk towards her. Both Amelia and Damon noticed that Elena was watching Stefan and a blonde woman, playing pool together and laughing.

"Stefan smiles, alert the media." Damon joked with Elena before he looked at Amelia. "Careful, she bites." He made a biting motion with his face.

"You mean she's… like you?" Amelia asked, tentatively.

"Yup." Damon said, popping the "p".

"You haven't given him a lot of reasons to be happy lately." Elena huffed, not making eye contact with him.

Amelia chimed in, "He does tend to brood a lot Elena… I think Damon was just making a joke."

Damon sighed dramatically, "Oh, you're right. Poor Stefan, persecuted throughout eternity by his depraved brother… Does it get tiring? Being so righteous?" He asked, looking at her. Amelia felt bad, but she almost wanted to agree with Damon. Elena did tend to be all "high and mighty" from time to time. As if she never made mistakes.

Elena rolled her eyes. "It flares up in the presence of psychopaths." She said walking away from them.

"Ouch, well, consider this psychopaths feelings hurt." He pouted, putting his hand over his heart.

Elena turned around. "What did you do to my brother?"

"I'm gonna need a less vague question."

"When you did what you did to Jeremy's memory of Vicki? What else did you do to him?" She asked, worriedly.

Damon responded. "You asked me to take away his memory of fangs and rawrrr and all the bad stuff. You wanted me to take away his suffering."

Elena continued. "But he's acting different! He seems ok with everything and I mean a little too ok. He's studying, he's not doing drugs, drinking. Are you sure you didn't do something else?"

"Elena, I took away his suffering." He emphasized. Elena seemed like she didn't believe him, but she walked away.

"Lia!" A voice called from behind them. They turned around to see Matt Donovan walking their way. Matt glanced at Damon, but continued walking towards Amelia. Amelia felt frozen. "Hey! Did Liz mention any leads from the questioning this morning? I know Vicki thinks she's doing the right thing, but I'm so worried about her."

Amelia felt paralyzed. It felt so cruel to lie to Matt about her killing Vicki. "She hasn't mentioned anything." She said quietly. She looked down at her shoes, and she felt her eyes grow watery. She glanced back up to see that Matt had nodded, and walked away.

"I feel so guilty." Amelia admitted to Damon, needing to tell someone.

Damon grabbed her arm, "I think it's time for that drink, now." Amelia sat quietly next to him as he ordered himself a Bourbon and a rum in coke for her.

Amelia had a small smile on her face. "You remembered."

"What're friends for?" Damon winked at her.

Amelia frowned. "Is that what we are…? Friends…?"

Damon pondered her question for a moment. "As much as Stefan likes to taunt me about being a loner, I just might consider you one, yes."

Amelia wondered if her were being honest or if her wanted something from her.

"BRB." He said, walking away from the bar. _BRB, really?_ Amelia thought to herself. He reminded her of an old man trying to be 'hip'.

A moment later, Amelia heard the bar stool next to her scrape on the floor and she glanced over to see the blonde vampire ordering some shots of tequila. "Hi, you must be Damon's witch, Amelia?" She asked.

Amelia felt her face turn red and she was angry. "I don't belong to anyone, certainly not to a _vampire_."

The blonde grimaced, "Yikes, sorry. I didn't mean any offense. I'm Lexi, Stefan's friend." Lexi turned to the bar tender and she watched as she compelled him.

Amelia frowned, but said nothing. She watched as Elena shyly made her way over to them. "Ah, the famous Elena." Lexi said.

Elena looked her up and down before dully stating, "Towel girl."

Lexi took it in stride and nodded. "I've been called worse. Here." She handed Amelia and Elena shot glasses of tequila.

"I didn't know you guys could drink." Elena said, confused. Amelia thought about Damon and his obsession with Bourbon.

"Oh, yeah, it helps curb the cravings, but, makes for a lot of lushy vamps." Lexi explained.

Amelia snorted, "Like Damon." She shot the liquor down her throat before slamming the glass back down onto the table.

"You know, I've never seen Stefan drunk. He always seems so…" Elena trailed off.

"Uptight?" Lexi and Amelia asked at the same time.

"Yeah," Elena agreed. "But, not with you." Amelia thought she sounded jealous.

"Well, that's the benefit of knowing someone for over a hundred years. You can just be yourself." Lexi explained.

Elena looked away, "Yeah, he can't be himself with me."

"Well, not yet. The first step was him telling you. The rest comes with time." Lexi advised, wisely.

"You seem so sure." Elena shook her head.

"The love of my life, was human." Lexi explained, "He went through what I imagine you're going through - denial, anger, etc. But at the end of the day, love really did conquer all." Amelia thought she sounded a little cheesy, but she didn't say anything.

Lexi looked at Elena, "Are you gonna drink that?" She asked, looking at her full shot glass.

"Oh, uh, no. Go for it." Elena said, handing it to her. Amelia watched as Lexi downed the shot and was surprised when Elena admitted. "I'm scared."

"But you're here. Because you're crazy about him. I get it, ok? I mean, what's not to love? Listen, take it from someone who's been around a long time. When it's real, you can't walk away."

Elena laughed as Lexi did _another_ shot. "Whew!" She said as she began to walk away.

"Hey, Lexi!" Elena called to her, and Lexi turned around. "It was really nice meeting you." Lexi smiled at her before walking away.

Elena sat and chatted with her for a few minutes before she finally got the courage to go talk to Stefan.

Amelia felt like she was getting a headache. She was having a hard time concentrating tonight, and keeping up her mental barriers. Feeling all of the excitement, anger, sadness, guilt… It made her feel moody. She especially had a hard time concentrating when she was drinking, so she pushed her mostly empty glass away from her. Amelia spun around in her chair and watched as Caroline stumbled drunkenly with Matt, before he picked her up and carried her out. Amelia frowned, worriedly, and decided that she would look after her when she got home. Matt wouldn't do anything sketchy. He was a good guy.

Damon came back a few minutes later and thanked her for watching over his Bourbon. A moment later, Lexi slid next to him with a few shot glasses before saying, "Alright, the shots are a bribe. I need you to answer a question. What're you really doing in Mystic Falls?"

Damon taunted, "Have you tried the brittle? It wins awards." He joked, taking a shot.

Lexi glared at him, "Cut the crap." Amelia was silent, she was also curious.

"Okay. I have a diabolical master plan." Damon said very seriously.

"Okay. What is it?" Lexi asked, impatiently.

"Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be very diabolical, now would it?" He taunted. Amelia thought his response was rather funny, but she refused to laugh. She wanted to know why he was here.

Amelia was shocked when Liz and some of her deputies strode up to the them and plunged something into Lexi's leg. For a moment, she was panicked that she had learned that Damon was a vampire.

"Liz?! What're you doing?!" She asked, frantically. Trying to figure out how to fix the situation.

Damon whispered to Liz, "What're you doing?" Amelia thought he was putting on a show though.

Liz looked at Damon and whispered, "Thank you for the vervain. Now if you'll excuse me." Amelia watched in panic as they took Lexi away. She searched her mind for some sort of spell to use. She knew if she exploded their brains, they wouldn't heal like a vampire would. They'd just be dead. If she did anything to obvious, she'd expose herself to Liz and to the whole town.

She turned to Damon and glared furiously at him, "What did you do?!" She whispered menacingly.

"Stay here." Damon said, walking off. Amelia noticed that Stefan and Elena were also frantically searching for an exit.

Amelia jogged after Damon, following him outside. She watched in panic as Lexi escaped her attackers and began walking towards Liz. Liz fired off several rounds at Lexi, each one hitting her in the chest.

"Mom!" Amelia shouted running towards her. Liz turned towards her, shocked that she was there. Amelia was about to incapacitate Lexi, as much as she hated the thought, when Damon appeared out of no where and staked Lexi. Amelia stumbled before standing still as she stared in shock of what had just happened. Liz ran over to her and hugged her to her chest.

Amelia watched over her shoulder as Lexi asked Damon, "Why?" Amelia couldn't hear what Damon's response was.

"Sh, sh, baby girl, it's okay." Liz said as she held her.

Damon walked over to them, false concern on his face, "Are you okay?" He asked them worriedly.

Liz released Amelia. "Thank you. Get it in the car, quickly. I need to take my daughter home."

"Oh, let me drop her off for you. I'm sure you have lots of work to wrap up here." He chimed in.

Liz smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Damon."

She turned to Amelia, "I promise I'll explain when I get home." Liz gave her another hug which she stiffly returned before she strode off back to The Grill.

Damon gently took her arm and began walking with her towards the car. Amelia ripped herself away from him "Stay away from me! You monster!"

"Oh, come on, Lia." Damon whined, approaching her.

"Take one more step and I will _set you on fire_." Amelia emphasized. "Why did you do it, Damon? Are you seriously a psychopath? Do you enjoy taunting Stefan? Ruining his life?"

Damon looked like he was debating whether or not to tell her something. "I had to get the town off our back! They were starting to get suspicious. I did this to_ protect us_."

Amelia hated herself for it, but half of her understood him. The half of her that was cold, practical, and safe. But the half of her that was passionate and caring wanted to hurt him.

"That's not the right way to do it and you know it, Damon." She whispered before turning her back on him and walking home.

When she finally got home that night, exhausted, she peeked in on Caroline like she had promised, only to see Matt and Caroline cuddled up watching T.V. Amelia was shocked, but she was happy at the same time. Caroline needed someone good in her life like Matt.

That night, Amelia slept restlessly. She dreamed that she was just a little girl, being carried away from her mother as she screamed, crying for her. But, this wasn't her mother. This woman was tall and had long wavy blonde hair. Her mother Marcella Whitmore, had dark hair. She had dreams of this woman, stroking her hair, and telling her how they would meet again soon. Amelia knew that she had dreamt about this woman before. She remembered asking her mother about her dreams before her father had been killed, but she had become frantic, and upset when she told her. "You mustn't dream about her!" She had yelled. She had taken her to the doctors, and told the doctor that she had been having fitful nightmares, and that she needed something to help her through the night. Amelia remembered having to take medication every night, and how much she had hated it.

She also had terrible dreams about Damon. Damon attacking her father, and her mother. Attacking Caroline, and Elena. She even had a very vivid dream of Damon attacking Bonnie and biting into her neck. There had been flames and Stefan and Elena were there…

But mostly, she dreamed of a terrifying man with fangs. At first, she thought he was a vampire, but then he transformed and started howling at the moon.


	12. Chapter 11: History Repeating

**A/N: Hi, everybody! I just noticed that something weird happened with the text for this chapter! Here is the right upload! -TeamComrade11**

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 11: History Repeating**

**November 30, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore, Caroline Forbes, and Elena Gilbert were walking through the Mystic Falls High School parking lot together.

Elena asked Caroline, "Have you even talked to Bonnie?"

"No," Caroline said, petulantly, "I'm mad at her. She needs to make the first move."

"Be the bigger person." Elena encouraged.

"Ugh, impossible, in her presence." Caroline sighed.

Elena tried to placate Caroline, "Why're you so mad at her anyway?"

Caroline scoffed, "Because she's a thief, that's why. I gave her my necklace, and she refuses to give it back. It's a matter of principle.

Amelia frowned. "Care, you can't be mad at her for not giving you the necklace back. Besides, it doesn't even belong to you. It's Damon's."

Caroline glared at her. "You're always on Damon's side. Or Bonnie's. I'm your sister, you should be on _my_ side!"

Elena sighed, "Well, I tried. I'm officially out of it."

"Good, your turn. Where's Stefan?" Caroline asked.

Elena glanced away, "He's avoiding me."

"Why?" Amelia asked.

"It's complicated." Elena gave her a look saying she would explain later when Caroline wasn't around. The bell rang just then and she said, "See you later." Before Elena and Amelia walked to history and Caroline went her own way. Amelia glanced back to see her talking to Matt and she smiled.

Amelia was surprised to see that the school had finally hired a new history teacher. A young, handsome man called "Alaric Saltzman." He seemed very particular about the pronunciation of his name. Amelia wondered if he had been traumatized by it growing up. He had insisted that the class call him "Ric."

Later that day, Elena, Bonnie and Amelia were eating lunch. Bonnie was explaining about her weird dreams. "And then I ended up at the remains of Old Fell's Church before I woke up back in the woods." Bonnie finished.

"And you always see your ancestor, Emily?" Elena questioned.

Bonnie nodded before asking, "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"Two weeks ago, I'd say no, but now…" Elena trailed off.

"I think I'm being haunted." Bonnie said, very seriously.

"I don't get it, why Emily?" Elena asked.

"Grams says she was a powerful witch back in the Civil War days and that this medallion was hers - a witches talisman." Bonnie explained.

"She _was_ a very powerful witch, Bonnie. It sounds like she's trying to communicate with you." Amelia said, chewing on her sandwich.

"And it all started when you got the necklace?" Elena confirmed.

"I think she's using it to communicate with me." Bonnie suggested.

"Ok, what does Grams say about it?" Elena asked.

"I can't call her, she's going to tell me to embrace it. I don't want to embrace it. I want it to stop." Bonnie shook her head.

"Bon, Emily was a powerful witch and I'm sure her spirit is just as powerful. If she wants to communicate with you, she won't stop until you listen to her. Trust me… They can be rather persistent." Amelia advised glancing up at the sky, almost afraid they would smite her.

Bonnie looked at her worriedly before the trio separated and went their own way.

Amelia's phone pinged and she glanced down to see another text message from Damon.

Damon: How many times do I have to apologize? I'm even on the Stefan diet to make up for it :(

Amelia didn't want to reply to him, but she couldn't resist.

Amelia: Wow. Not murdering people must be so hard for you :(

Damon: You look good in black. How'd you know it was my favorite color? Trying to impress me? ;)

Amelia frowned and put her phone down, glancing around her. She felt a tap on her shoulder from behind her and she flinched, spinning around. "So, you're stalking me now?"

Damon pouted. "No one else will talk to me." He said as he sat down on the bench next to her. Amelia stood up and started walking towards her truck.

Amelia frowned, and sighed as he followed her. "Actions have consequences, Damon."

Damon groaned, "Oh c'mon, Lia! Don't tell me you're becoming as righteous as Stefan and Elena."

Amelia hid her half smile. "Okay, I'll admit there was a problem. But you solved it the wrong way! If you had to, you could have turned some random, but you had to kill Lexi? Really? That's just cruel and you know it. Not that I'm condoning you killing people." She glared at him, unlocking her truck. "I've got to go, Damon. Elena's having this stupid thing at her house tonight - she's trying to get Caroline and Bonnie to make up. Which is _your_ fault, too."

Damon groaned. "I don't know how many more times I can apologize for Lexi. I'm even on the bunny diet!"

Amelia sighed. "I know you're not a bad person, Damon. You just… You make impulsive decisions."

Damon paused, seeming to contemplate something. "If I asked you for your help with something, would you do it?"

Amelia frowned. Damon never asked for help. "I guess it would depend. Would anybody be harmed?"

Damon hesitated, "No." He lied. Damon was glad that Amelia seemed to believe him.

Damon started to walk away. "If you get bored of girls night, text me and I'll show you a good time!" He called out, winking at her.

Amelia shook her head, hiding her smile as she climbed into her truck. He was so infuriating.

The four girls were awkwardly unloading groceries, sneaking glances at each other when Caroline burst out, "I'm sorry! There, I said it. If you want the ugly ass necklace, keep it. It's yours."

Bonnie hesitated, "Will you hate me if I tell you I threw it away?"

"You threw it away?!" Caroline yelled.

"I know it sounds crazy, but the necklace was giving me nightmares, I had to get rid of it." Bonnie explained.

Amelia gave Bonnie a look. "You know Sheila won't be happy with you." Amelia honestly doubted that this would be the last Bonnie heard from Emily. If Emily wanted to communicate with her, she would find a way.

"You could have given it back to me." Caroline said.

"Why, so you could give it back to Damon?" Elena interjected.

"Ugh, screw Damon." Caroline sighed. "Now, are we doing manicures or what? Who has their kit?"

"Mine's in my bag." Bonnie gestured towards the couch.

Caroline went over to the couch and started rummaging through Bonnie's bag. "So, Elena, how long do you think this fight with Stefan is gonna last? Is it, like, a permanent thing?" She asked.

Elena sighed, "I don't know, Caroline."

"Why're you _such_ a little liar, Bonnie?" Caroline exclaimed, pulling the Bennet Talisman out of Bonnie's bag.

"What?" Bonnie asked.

"Caroline!" Elena scolded.

The girls looked at the necklace in shock.

"I'm not lying to you Caroline, I swear." Bonnie promised.

"It's true. I watched her throw it into a field!" Elena explained.

"Well then, explain it." Caroline demanded.

"Emily?" Bonnie suggested.

"I told you, Bon. If she wants to talk to you, she'll find a way." Amelia confirmed.

"Who's Emily?" Caroline asked.

"The ghost." Bonnie explained.

"Oh, the ghost has a name now." Caroline mocked.

"Sh, Caroline, please." Elena hushed.

"I wonder why she won't leave me alone." Bonnie said to Elena and Amelia.

"Okay, what is going on?! Why am I not a part of this conversation? You guys do this to me all the time." Caroline exclaimed.

"That's not true." Elena denied.

"Yes it is." Bonnie exclaimed looking at Caroline. "I can't talk to you - you don't listen!"

"That's not true!" Caroline denied.

Bonnie took a deep breath before saying, "I'm a witch."

"And don't we all know it." Caroline mocked.

"See! That's what I'm talking about. I'm trying to tell you something… You won't even hear it." Bonnie shook her head before storming off.

Caroline turned to Elena. "I listen! When do I not listen?"

Amelia followed after Bonnie and sat with her quietly in the living room. "Bonnie, I know it's frustrating… but normal people don't expect to hear someone tell them that they're a supernatural being… especially in the middle of an argument! Yes, Caroline can be… well, Caroline, but you can't get mad at her for being skeptical. After all, how long did it take for me and Sheila to finally convince you?"

Bonnie sighed. "I know, I know! You're right, but she is just so frustrating!" She groaned, before falling back into the pillows.

Amelia turned to see Elena giving her a look, and Caroline approaching them. Amelia smiled at Bonnie and Caroline, before scurrying into the kitchen to eavesdrop with Elena.

"Bonnie? Look it's just not me. Okay? I don't believe in the 'wooh ooh' but if you do then ok. I'm in. That's all it takes for me to jump on board… because… I consider you to be my best friend and I am saying this knowing that Amelia and Elena are in the kitchen listening to my every word." Caroline chuckled.

Amelia didn't hear Bonnie say anything. "I didn't know how real this was for you, but I'm listening now." Caroline said. "Okay?"

"Okay." Bonnie agreed.

"Girls, you can come in now, we're done." Caroline called and the two girls walked sheepishly to meet them. "Well, there is just way too much drama in this room. So, what do you guys wanna do?" Before anyone could respond, Caroline gasped, "I have an idea. Why don't we have a seance?"

"No!" Amelia shouted.

Elena shook her head, and Bonnie agreed with Amelia, "I don't think that's a good idea."

"C'mon! Let's summon some spirits. I mean, this Emily chick has some serious explaining to do."

Amelia groaned as she watched the other girls succumb to Caroline's idea. She followed the girls upstairs and watched as they prepared candles. Amelia vowed that she wouldn't participate directly, but she would be there to protect them if needed.

Amelia's own fear was intensified by the other girls as they sat in a circle in the dark room with a few lit candles in the middle of them.

"Ugh, what're we doing?" Bonnie questioned.

"I dunno." Elena said.

"This is stupid." Amelia agreed.

"Sh! Be quiet and concentrate." Caroline said. Amelia vowed that she would kill Caroline later. "Okay, close your eyes. Okay, now take a deep breath. Bonnie? Call to her."

"Emily. You there?" Bonnie asked standoffishly.

"Really? Emily, you there? That's all you got?" Caroline mocked. "C'mon!"

"Fine, geez." Bonnie said, taking a deep breath. "Emily. I call on you. I know you have a message. I'm here to listen." She said, much more open to listening.

The room was quiet for a moment before Amelia watched the candle flames shoot upward and she felt the familiarity of magic in the air.

"Did that just-" Elena started.

"Yeah, that just happened." Caroline interrupted, rubbing at her cold arms. Amelia had to admit that she felt cold, too.

"It's just the air conditioning." Bonnie suggested, lying to herself. The flames of the candle shot upwards again, and the girls jumped.

"Ask her to show you a sign." Caroline said.

Amelia spoke calmly into the darkness, "Emily, what is your message?"

Bonnie frowned and shook her head. Caroline said, "Ask her! Emily, if you're among us, show us another sign."

The room was silent for another moment and Bonnie said, "See? It's not working." The windows burst open as wind stormed the room. Bonnie leapt up. "No! I can't! I'm done!" She shouted, throwing down the talisman onto the ground as the candles went out. "Get the light! Please, get the light!" Bonnie shouted. Amelia frowned and lit the candles with her mind.

Caroline stared at her wide eyed and asked, "How did you do that?"

Elena leapt up and turned on the lights. "Oh my God." Elena said.

"You guys, the talisman, it's gone." Amelia said, panicked.

The girls began searching the room for the necklace, but Amelia knew it was no use.

"Okay, fun is over, Caroline. You made a point and I get it. Now give it back." Elena accused.

"What the hell, Elena?" Amelia asked, frustrated. "You shouldn't accuse people of things that you have no proof about. For all we know, _you_ took it. But honestly, I think Emily has it."

"What? I-I didn't take it." Caroline said. Amelia could have sworn she saw a human-like shadow out of the corner of her eye move across the hallway. Elena glanced in that direction as well and started moving towards the door. "What? What happened?" Caroline questioned, hugging herself.

"I don't know. Nothing. Jeremy? Are you home?" Elena questioned heading out to the hallway.

"Elena! We should stay together. We shouldn't have broken the circle - that's, like, seance rule number one." Amelia called. She didn't notice Bonnie heading towards the bathroom.

"Um, guys?" Bonnie called. Bonnie bent down to pick up the talisman off the floor. She turned to face them just as the door slammed shut.

"Oh my God!" Bonnie screamed. "Help me! Help me! Please!"

"Bonnie! Bonnie, Bonnie!" All three of the girls yelled.

"Bonnie! What's going on?!" Elena yelled. "Open the door!" She yelled before turning to them and saying, "I'll check the hallway." As soon as she left, all of the lights in the house began to flicker on and off. Amelia could sense that they were all in panic mode and she tried to send out calming waves to them.

"Caroline! Stand back!" Amelia commanded. Once she was a safe distance away, Amelia reached out both of her hands in front of her and blasted the door open.

Elena rounded the corner and Caroline looked at her wide eyed. "How did you do that?! Are you a witch, too?!"

"I'll explain later, Care." Amelia frowned looking at Bonnie who had her face in her hands.

Bonnie lifted her head and said calmly, "I'm fine."

Caroline was outraged. "Unbelievable! You were faking it the whole time!"

"Care, c'mon." Elena whined.

"No, you scared the hell outta me!" Caroline yelled, walking away.

"Bonnie?" Elena asked.

"I'm fine, everything's fine." Bonnie said calmly walking out the door.

"I can't believe I fell for it." Caroline continued.

"Are you okay?" Elena asked.

"I must go." Bonnie said, walking down the stairs. Amelia felt her face drain as she realized what was happening. That wasn't Bonnie.

"If she's leaving, I'm leaving." Caroline said.

"You guys can't leave!" Elena protested.

"Oh I can! I've had enough fake freaky witch stuff for one night."

"Thank you for having me. I'll take it from here." Emily said, perfectly polite.

"Emily!" Amelia commanded, "Where are you going?"

The two girls looked at her in shock as Emily replied, "Back to where it all began. I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed." Emily hurried out the door, and Amelia ran after her, leaving Caroline and Elena to watch them leave in shock. As soon as they had walked out the door, Amelia felt Emily slam the door shut so Elena couldn't follow.

Amelia jogged after her in the woods. "Emily! Please, who can't have it? Damon?"

"It must be destroyed, my young witch. Stay away from Damon. You shall learn."

"Why does he want it?" She panted, having a hard time keeping up with her. Amelia vowed to exercise more after this tirade.

"To save them. To save them all. He must be stopped." She replied monotonously. "You must stop this relationship with him. Your mother doesn't approve."

"My mother is dead." She replied, confused.

"Merely resting." Emily said as she slowed down to a walk.

Amelia didn't have time to question her more as Damon walked out into the opening. "Hello, Emily. You look different." He joked, sarcastically.

Emily glared at Damon. "I won't let you do it."

"We had a deal." Damon reminded her.

"Things are different now. I need to protect my family." Emily disagreed.

"I protected your family! You owe me!" Damon seethed.

"I know, I'm sorry." Emily replied.

"You're about to be a lot more than that." He threatened before running at her.

Amelia was surprised by how quickly Emily responded. Before he could even touch her, she waved her hand and she sent him flying, impaling him onto a tree branch.

"Damon!" Amelia yelled worriedly, and in shock.

She was about to run to him when Emily grabbed her hand. "No."

Amelia stood frozen as Emily in Bonnie's body dragged a stick in a circle around them. Stefan appeared out of no where and lifted Damon off of the tree. Damon groaned. "Oh, that hurts. This is why I feed on people." He whined.

Emily looked up and greeted him. "Stefan."

"Emily." He returned.

"These people don't deserve this. I will not release them. They should never have to know such evil." She spoke.

"What do you mean, evil?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Emily! I swear to God I'll make you regret this." Damon threatened, groaning.

"Them?" Stefan questioned. "What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?"

Damon groaned, "Oh, what does it matter?"

Stefan called out, "Emily, tell me what you did!"

"To save her, I had to save them." She spoke calmly.

"You saved every person in the church?" Stefan questioned, disbelieving.

"With one, comes all." She replied.

"I don't care about them - I just want Katherine!" Damon begged, stumbling.

Amelia felt dumbstruck. This whole time, that's why he was in Mystic Falls?

Stefan grabbed onto Damon, "Of course I shouldn't believe a single word that comes out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge."

Damon shrugged out of his arms, "The two are mutually exclusive."

"Damon you can't do this!" Stefan pleaded.

"Why not? They killed twenty seven people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get." Damon argued.

"They were twenty seven _vampires_. You can't just bring them back!" Stefan argued.

"This town deserves this!" Damon yelled.

"You're blaming innocent people for something that had happened more than a hundred and forty five years ago!"

"There is nothing innocent about these people! And don't think for a second that it won't happen again. And they'll burn you and you're little grand-witch right next to us when they find out. Trust me." Damon yelled looking at Amelia.

Amelia felt so betrayed. "This was your plan all along? _This town does not deserve this Damon!_ These are my friends! My _family_. I can't believe you!" She seethed, angry tears welling up in her eyes.

Emily interrupted them. "Things are different now."

Damon looked back to Emily. "Don't do this." He begged.

"I can't free them… I won't." She said before raising her arms and yelling, "Incendia!" Amelia felt the warmth of the magic and the fire welling up around them. Amelia looked around to see that they were surrounded by it. The fire was in the shape of a pentagram and they were standing right in the center of it. She looked at Damon through the flames and her watery eyes.

"No!" Damon yelled, running towards the fire, before backing away.

Emily turned to Amelia and smiled. "Help me, child."

She reminded her so much of Sheila. "Emily… I-I don't know. There must be some other way…"

Emily frowned at her and she held up the talisman with one had, gripping Amelia's hand in the other. "Do not betray your kind for something evil." She said, looking into Amelia's eyes.

Amelia looked over at Damon through the fire, feeling so hurt and betrayed. She turned back to Emily and was surprised to see the real her standing there, 1860's clothing and all.

"O-okay." She agreed shakily, concentrating on her magic and allowing Emily to use it.

"Amelia, please!" Damon begged. Amelia felt so torn.

"Bonnie!" Amelia heard Elena's voice and she saw Stefan run to her.

Emily tossed the necklace in the air and they both concentrated on destroying it. Amelia watched it explode in a million pieces of light, almost like a firework.

"No!" Damon cried, heartbroken.

The light seemed to shimmer down for a long time as Damon glared murderously at the two of them. The fire went out and Amelia recognized Bonnie come back to herself and look around, confused.

"Uuuurgghhh!" Damon yelled in a blur coming at them. Amelia stepped in front of Bonnie and suddenly Damon was there, ripping into her neck. Amelia screamed at the pain and tried to shove him off her, panicking.

Amelia felt someone shove Damon off of her, probably Stefan, she thought. Amelia lay on the ground, her eyes shut, and she realized that she was unable to open them. Every muscle in her body felt like cement.

She felt someone's cool hand press onto her neck. "She's alive, but barely." Stefan said. "I can save her."

Amelia felt him press his hand to her mouth and she realized that he was feeding her his blood to heal him. Amelia moaned and tried to escape the coppery tasting substance as it slid down her throat. She opened her eyes and began to sit up as Stefan released her.

"Her neck! It's healing!" Elena said in shock. Amelia stumbled to her feet dizzily, and Elena helped her up. Amelia stared at Damon. She felt so betrayed and angry. She couldn't believe that Damon would let the whole town go to hell - including her - and not give two shits about it. That he was probably just using her. That he was still in love with Katherine. That he had just attacked her.

Damon had tears in his eyes as he said, "Katherine never compelled me. I knew everything, every step of the way. It was real. I'll leave now." He admitted. "I'm sorry, Amelia." He looked at her so sincerely that it made her chest ache.

"What's going on, Elena?!" Bonnie demanded, tears streaming down her face. "I don't understand… Everything that's happened. He attacked her! And there's so much blood, but she's not bleeding anymore…"

Amelia let Elena lead her and Bonnie towards her car as she promised Bonnie that she'd explain everything to her. Amelia stumbled, and fell on all fours, puking up blood and food and bile. She started crying, again as she wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She felt a warm, familiar hand rubbing her back. "Shh, you're okay." Damon said. Amelia cried even harder. She wanted so much to wrap herself up in his arms but she knew that she couldn't. That she had to cut off this, this thing that she had with him.

"Damon," She sobbed. "I need you to leave me alone. I don't want to ever see you again."

Damon looked at her, the most heartbreaking look in his eyes, and then he was gone. As Amelia cried, she caught the tail end of Stefan and Elena's conversation. Stefan was telling her how he was leaving - for good. Elena begged him to come back, but she continued to walk away. Elena had tears running down her face as she helped Amelia into the car. Elena ended up driving them home, Amelia was unable to pull herself together enough to drive, and Bonnie wasn't much better. Amelia insisted on her bringing her back to the Forbes' home. She couldn't stand to be around them any longer. She just needed to be alone. After much protest, she agreed, but only if Caroline would keep an eye on her.

Amelia stumbled up the stairs, glad that Liz wasn't home yet. She stripped out of her bloody clothes and scrubbed at her neck hysterically in the shower. When water droplets began rising up from the tub and resting, still, in the air, Amelia knew she needed to get a hold of her emotions. It wasn't cool to not be able to control her powers. She didn't want to end up breaking something. After she got herself cleaned up, and had managed to keep her face dry of tears, she put on her pajamas and walked, hesitating to Caroline's room. Amelia wanted to be comforted and have someone to rant to, but when she heard two sets of laughter coming from her bedroom, she decided not to ruin Caroline's night.

She felt her breathing start to elevate again and she flinched when she heard Liz's voice from down the hall. "Amelia, baby, are you alright?" She asked.

Amelia tried to get a hold of herself but she couldn't help her ragged breathing and the sobs that eventually broke through her chest. Liz went over to her and put her arms around her, shushing her. "Shh, Amelia, it's okay. I'm here for you. Did something happen? Are you okay?"

Liz led her into her bedroom and sat her down on the bed. Amelia sobbed, feeling so pathetic. "I just f-feel so betrayed, and unsafe." She admitted, clutching onto Liz's jacket.

"Oh, no, baby… Is this about what happened the other night at The Grill? You're safe now, baby, I promise. We took care of the problem. That night was so shocking… I'm sure you must've mixed up some of the details in your head." Liz said, trying to convince Amelia that she hadn't actually seen a monster that night, just a person. Liz felt bad that she hadn't talked to Amelia sooner, but she also didn't want her children know about the bad things that roamed the night.

"Liz…" Amelia trailed off. "I know she was a vampire, you don't have to pretend around me." She sniffled.

"What… How?" She asked, alarmed.

Amelia paused, regretting what she had said, "I just do." She said wiping her face of her tears. "I'm really tired, Liz, I'm going to go to bed, okay? I'm sorry about tonight."

As she walked out the door back towards her bedroom, Liz called back to her, "Lia? Please don't mention any of this to Caroline."

Amelia nodded, and attempted to smile at her before facing a fitful sleep full of nightmares.


	13. Chapter 12: The Turning Point

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 12: The Turning Point**

**December 2, 2009**

Amelia stared dully out her window as she debated whether or not she was going go to school. She looked at the dead leaves lying on the ground and felt sad that fall was just about over. Soon, it would be much too cold for Amelia. Eventually, she sighed and decided that she couldn't just not go to school and she got dressed in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Amelia didn't think she had ever gone to school looking so bad, but she just didn't care.

She got to school early, and played a sad tune on the piano, singing along quietly to the lyrics. When the bell rang, she didn't want to leave, but she knew that students would soon be coming into the band room, so she packed up her things and headed to class. She ignored Bonnie and Elena in the hall as they tried to call her over to them.

Amelia frowned when she saw that she had 17 missed calls from Damon and several text messages. She didn't want to speak to him ever again, but if he had called so many times, it sounded a little important. She ducked into the bathroom and pulled out her phone, listening to the voicemail.

"Look, Amelia, I'm so sorry about what I did the other night. I don't know what came over me. I was just so upset and I couldn't control myself. But that's not why I called-" The voicemail cut off and she saw she had a second one. "There's another vampire in town. The Sheriff discovered a body this morning. I need you to use the Gilbert Compass to help me track it down. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important. I know you're so concerned about keeping this town safe, so-" The voicemail cut off again. She didn't bother to look through her texts.

Amelia sighed, but called him back anyway. "Amelia, listen-" Damon started.

Amelia cut him off. "_No, _Damon_, you _listen! I will help you track down this vampire, but after that, I don't want to hear a _word_ from you, do you understand me? And don't you so much as _think_ of touching me again, because I will set you on fire _so fast_ it will make your head spin _and I will laugh, as I watch you burn_. Do you understand me?" She asked, breathing heavy from her spiel.

Damon was quiet for a moment before he said, "Understood."

Amelia frowned. "I want you to drop off the Gilbert Compass in my truck at the school and then I will go get it. Once I track down this vampire, I will place it somewhere safe, leave, and then call you so you can go get it." She hung up. Amelia took a few deep breaths before heading back to her locker to put her things in there. She waited a few minutes to make sure Damon was gone by the time she got to her truck. He was indeed no where in sight and she picked up the compass out of the bed of her truck, hidden under some sort of cloth.

Amelia took a deep breath and began tracking, aware that she was yet again, putting herself in danger.

When she finally arrived at some old warehouse, the compass locked onto it. Amelia set the compass down, hidden underneath some leaves and swiftly walked away, looking over her shoulder. She called Damon. "Amelia-" He started.

Amelia interrupted him and told him where she was before hanging up. She was almost out of sight of the compass when she heard the sound of a vampire approaching her quickly. She spun around, panicked, and gave the attacker a "witchy migraine" as Damon so fondly called it. She stopped immediately when she recognized it was actually Damon. "I-I'm sorry." She muttered. "I thought it was the vampire."

"It's okay." Damon groaned, straightening up and moving towards her. Amelia stumbled back away from him, afraid. Damon frowned when he saw the fear in her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly.

Amelia scoffed, a lump in her throat. "Yeah, I've heard that one before." She cleared her throat. "The compass is under those leaves over there." She said before turning around and walking away.

"Thank you!" He called after her. Amelia didn't turn around, didn't respond. Amelia got back into her truck which was parked a few blocks away. She sat in the drivers seat for a few moments, taking deep breaths, and closing her eyes.

Out of nowhere, she was assaulted with a vision of Damon being shot several times by Logan Fell. She yelled in pain as she felt sharp stabbing pains in her abdomen, leg, stomach. How was Logan Fell even still alive? The Salvatore's had killed him! She couldn't believe that he was the vampire behind the body found this morning.

Amelia found herself back in her own body. She rubbed her painful skin gently. There were no wounds, but they felt real. Amelia sped off towards the warehouse, and parked quickly, jumping out of her truck. Amelia had a small voice in the back of her head telling her to leave him there, to let him suffer. But she just couldn't do it. No matter what Damon had done to her, she couldn't just stop caring about him. As Amelia hesitated in the parking lot, she groaned as she felt three more sharp, blinding pains in her abdomen. She ran up the steps and into the warehouse, ready to kill Logan, but she only found Damon, groaning in pain on the ground.

"Damon! Where is he? Where's Logan?" Amelia yelled, running over to him.

Damon groaned, "Logan left… how did you know?"

Amelia paused, "I-I had a vision. A-are you okay, Damon? Is there anything I can do?"

Damon groaned, "Yeah, you can drive me back to my place and help me remove these damn wooden bullets. God! That hurts like a bitch." He yelled when she helped him up. Amelia walked him to her truck, having a hard time supporting his weight.

"Try not to bleed on my truck." She said stoically as she drove towards the Salvatore Boarding House.

Damon glared at her but said nothing. When she turned off her engine, Damon hopped out and fell on all fours.

"Well, that wasn't too smart, now was it?" Amelia taunted, looking at him with her hands on her hips.

"You're just enjoying this, aren't you?" He grimaced, glaring up at her.

Amelia pulled him to his feet and helped him upstairs to his bathroom. Amelia was surprised when he stripped down to his underwear, handed her some heavy duty tweezers, and chugged down some Bourbon saying, "Make it quick."

To the best of Amelia's ability, she pulled out all of the wooden bullets. She tried to ignore the feel of his soft skin under her hands, and how handsome he looked. Amelia grimaced as he groaned and swore. She sent out soothing waves to calm him down, and to help ease his pain.

Damon frowned, "Did you just do something to me?"

Amelia paused, but wiped off the leftover blood on him. "I can sort of… sense emotions, I guess you could say? I just… tried to relieve your pain is all."

Damon raised his eyebrows at her. "Wow," He said. "I've never heard of a witch being able to do that."

Amelia frowned, "Never?" She asked, feeling like a freak.

Damon pulled on his jeans and said nothing. He handed Amelia his soft, button-up, black shirt to help him put on. Amelia sighed but helped him with it anyway. Amelia tried not to touch him. Tried not to still be afraid of him.

Damon pulled out his phone and scrolled through his short contacts list to find Stefan's name. He put the call on speaker when Stefan answered. "Logan Fell is a vampire. And when I find him again, I am going to destroy him, limb-from-limb." Damon threatened.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Stefan asked, quietly.

"No. I'm not okay. I was ambushed, I was shot. Now I'm vengeful. I just gotta find him." Damon ranted. Amelia was about halfway through his buttons. If her would just quit _moving_.

"Well, there's no need, he's here at the school." Stefan said.

"You're kidding me? Why the hell is he there?" He asked, angrily.

"He's working the crowd." Stefan replied.

"Stefan!" Amelia interjected. "Please, look after Caroline, and my friends!" She finally finished his last button.

"Amelia? What're you doing with Damon?" He asked, confused.

"I'll be right there." Damon replied, hanging up the phone. He looked at Amelia. "Go home, Amelia. I'll take care of this.

Amelia looked at him worriedly. Damon sighed and he pulled her close to him. Amelia could feel her heart racing in her chest. Fear, uncertainty, confusion…

"I'm so sorry about… everything I've done, Amelia. I'll try to do better, I promise." He murmured into her hair, rubbing her back soothingly. "Go home." He whispered, and then he was gone.

Amelia laid on his bed for about an hour, thinking, before she sighed and left the house. She was surprised to see a topless Stefan come up the stairs the same time she was going down them.

"Amelia…" He stammered. "I didn't know you were here."

"I was just leaving… Have a good night." She grimaced before walking out the door and starting her truck. Amelia took a deep breath and leaned her head against her cool steering wheel. She felt so conflicted about Damon.

She was about halfway to town, lost in thought, when a man was suddenly standing right in front of her truck. "No!" Amelia gasped, slamming on the breaks. She felt her truck hit him, and she flipped several times, glass shattering all around her. Amelia coughed as she finally landed, still, upside down. She glanced around her, and she was startled to see the dark figure that she had hit, lying on the ground. She gasped when he rotated his arm back into place with a sickening crunch and began to stand. Amelia realized that she was not in control of herself and that this person was not human. She reached for her necklace, only to realize it was not on her. "No, no, no, no, no!" She muttered frantically as she looked around for it in her truck. It must have fallen off in the accident. Amelia screamed as the figure approached her and stood right next to her. She stared at black boots, right next to her face, feeling helpless. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

Just when she thought her heart would explode, the figure ran away. Amelia held her breath for a moment when a figure suddenly appeared right in front of her. "No!" Amelia yelled and frantically tried to get away, pulling at her seat belt. Amelia let out a cry when she realized it was Damon.

"How're you doing under there?" He asked her gently.

"Damon!" Amelia cried.

"You're stuck." Damon observed.

"It's my seatbelt. I c-can't-" Amelia cried tugging at it frantically.

"Sh, sh, sh." Damon soothed, "I'm gonna get you outta here. I want you to put your hands on the roof. Just like that. One, two, three…" Damon pulled her seatbelt off, and helped her out of the car.

Amelia wrapped her arms around him. "D-Damon. My necklace - I-I-I can't find it! It's in here somewhere, and that man appeared, and I-I c-couldn't do anything. I thought he was going to kill me!" She sobbed. She felt her knees buckle and Damon held her up.

"Are you okay? Can you stand? Is anything broken?" Damon asked. He tried setting her on her feet. Amelia felt so tired. She couldn't keep her eyes open. "Woah, easy there. You're fading fast, Amelia. Look at me, Lia, focus. Look at me." He said, pulling on her lip, trying to keep her awake.

Amelia felt his soothing hand smoothing her hair down. Her knees buckled and her world went dark.


	14. Chapter 13: Bloodlines

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 13: Bloodlines**

**December 3, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore woke up, feeling sore and uncomfortable, in an upright seated position. She groaned at the sunlight that was blinding her, and the rocking motion of the vehicle that made her stomach feel uneasy. She looked around and saw Damon in the driver's seat. "Morning." He said to her cheerfully.

"Where are we?" Amelia asked, confused.

"Georgia." Damon replied, seriously.

"Georgia?" Amelia repeated, surprised.

"How're you feeling? There's no broken bones - I checked." Damon said, smirking.

"Sore." She replied, turning the rearview mirror to look at her face. It was all scratched up, and she had a bruise on one of her cheeks. She was relieved to see her talisman back on her neck. "My truck… I hit a man… Only, he couldn't have been a man, he must've been a vampire. And my necklace, it was gone. I couldn't do anything… Who was that?"

"That's what I would like to know." He replied ominously, flipping through the radio stations.

"Damon where's my phone? No one know's where I am. The last time you kidnapped me Liz grounded me for weeks! I need to call her. And my poor truck… Pull over, Damon, please. I need to think."

Damon sighed, but pulled over as she requested. She got out of his car slowly. She bent over, in a lot of pain. She flinched when she felt Damon's comforting arm around her. He looked concerned. Amelia gave him a half smile as he handed her back her phone. "I'm fine." She lied.

She checked her phone to see that she had several missed calls and texts from Liz. Amelia groaned and quickly dialed her number.

"Young lady, you- " Liz started.

"Liz, please! I'm so sorry. I fell asleep at Bonnie's last night. I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you." She lied.

"One of my deputies found your truck - totaled by the way - on the side of the road! What happened? Are you okay? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. Bonnie gave me a ride back to her house. I'm so sorry, Liz. I'll explain more later. I've got to go." She hung up, groaning. Liz was going to kill her, and she didn't have a vehicle anymore.

Amelia looked at Damon, pouting. "My truck is totaled." She sighed. "I worked so hard to save up for it too…"

Amelia dialed the number for her work. When one of the receptionists picked up, she asked to speak to their manager. "Hi, I'm so sorry about such short notice, but I won't be able to make it in today. I was in a bad car accident last night and my sister was attacked by some lunatic."

Amelia's manager sighed, annoyed. "Okay, Amelia, but you're only part time, so you don't have any paid time to use. You'll have to pick up an extra shift to make up for it."

Amelia agreed and hung up, climbing back in Damon's car. "Why're we in Georgia, Damon?" She asked, putting on her seatbelt.

"I have a friend - she own's a little place outside of Atlanta. I need to talk to her."

"What happened to my truck?" She asked, as they listened to some classical rock station. Amelia preferred alternative rock.

"I pulled if off to the side of the road. I don't think anyone will bother it."

"So that vampire I hit last night… Do you know him?" She asked.

"I've never met him, I wouldn't know him. It's not like we all hang out together at the Vamp Bar and Grill." He joked.

Damon finally pulled into the parking lot of a small pub called, "Bree's Bar." Amelia sighed and followed him inside. As they neared the bar, the bartender's eyes widened in shock. "No, no it can't be. Damon?" She asked, hopping onto the bar and swinging around to the other side of it. Amelia noticed that she was taller than Damon. She wondered if it was because of her heels. "My honey pie." She said before grabbing onto him and laying a huge kiss on him. She moaned as they made out right in front of her. Amelia was feeling angry and jealous, so she focused on those huge heels of hers and made one of them break in half, causing her to slip and fall. Damon held her up and Bree looked at her, surprised. "Well, well, well, Damon. Should I be jealous that you brought another witch into my bar?" She asked rather loudly. Amelia glanced around, worried that someone had heard her, but no one seemed to have heard. Amelia was surprised to have met another witch, but she recognized the magic that exuded from her. Bree stepped out of her heels and went back to the other side of the counter. She lined up several shot glasses and began pouring as she yelled, "Listen up, everybody!" She yelled, "Here's to the man that broke my heart, crushed my soul, destroyed my life, and ruined any and all chance at happiness." She said cheerfully, setting shot glasses in front of Damon and herself. "Drink up!"

"Here, here." Amelia muttered pouring the shot down her throat while Damon glared at her.

"Whoo!" Bree shouted, feeling the burn on the alcohol. "So, how'd he rope you in?" She asked her conversationally.

"I'm not roped in, actually… He's -." Amelia corrected.

Bree interrupted her, "Honey, if you're not roped, you're whipped. Either way, just enjoy the ride." She laughed.

Amelia played with her shot glass, "Okaaayyy…" She drawled, annoyed. "So, how did you two meet?"

"Hm, hm, college." Bree chuckled.

Amelia looked at Damon, surprised. "You went to college?" She asked.

"I've been on a college campus, yes." Damon replied, sarcastically.

Bree began to tell her story, "About twenty years ago, when I was a sweet, young freshman I met this beautiful man and I fell in love and he told me about his little secret. Made me love him even more. You see, I had a little secret of my own that I was dying to share with somebody. I'm sure you can relate." She winked at her.

"Mm." Amelia agreed.

"Changed my world." Bree said, dreamily, twirling her dark hair around her finger.

"Please, I rocked your world." Damon said arrogantly.

Bree laughed and looked over at Amelia, "He is good in the sack, isn't he?"

Amelia blushed, and she felt dumbfounded. Damon looked over at Bree conspiringly, "She's a virgin." He whispered, dramatically.

"Damon!" Amelia yelled, shocked, turning even more red than she had been before.

Bree sighed, "But mostly, he's a walk-away-Joe." She took another shot before asking, "So, what is it that you want?"

Amelia excused herself to use the restroom. She groaned when she saw herself in the mirror. She looked like a wreck. Her hair was a mess, her sweatpants were wrinkled, and her face looked wretched. Amelia sighed and pulled half of her hair up and out of her face, leaving the rest of it down. She was happy to notice that her face had already started to heal though, and she didn't feel quite so sore. She walked out to the car and sat on the hood for a few minutes, her head in her hands, thinking. She jumped when she felt a comforting hand on her arm. "Are you okay?" Damon asked, his icy blue eyes, looking at her worriedly.

"Why do you care?" Amelia asked, staring at her feet.

Damon lifted her chin up so his eyes met hers. "You're my friend." He said, softly. "One of my only friends, and I've just recently realized how close I came to losing that." His icy blue eyes probed her softer, light blue eyes. "Now, c'mon." He said more cheerfully. "I bet you're hungry. Lunch is on me."

Amelia picked at her fries, but wasn't feeling very hungry. "C'mon, what, you don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?" Damon joked, snatching her pickle from her plate.

"Ah ah ah!" Amelia protested, snatching her half eaten pickle from his lips. "I love pickles." She said, eating the rest of it. "I just haven't been very hungry lately…" She trailed off.

Damon frowned at her. "You need to eat, Lia. You've been losing a lot of weight, lately." He stated.

Amelia changed the subject, "How can you even eat, anyway? I mean, aren't you technically… _dead_?"

"It's not such a bad word. As long as I keep a healthy diet of blood in my system, my body functions pretty normally." He said cheerfully, as he stole some of her fries.

Amelia smiled before shaking her head. "This nice act… Is any of it real?" She inquired, seriously.

Damon gave her a look, as if to remind her of the conversation they had just had out by the car.

Bree came over and set another beer in front of Damon. Amelia was feeling bold. "I'll have a rum in coke, please." She ordered.

Bree smiled at her and said, "Coming right up." Amelia felt a strange vibe coming from Bree, but she chocked it up to just being jealous of the attention that Damon gave her.

When her coke arrived, she clinked glasses with him before taking a long swig.

A little while later, Amelia found herself doing shot rounds with half of the bar. She managed to swallow the burning alcohol and slam her shot glass down on the bar faster than anybody else, including Damon, "That's three!" She giggled excitedly. She glanced at Damon, who had a bit of alcohol running down his chin. "Do you need a bib?" She teased.

Damon coughed, "Sorry, I can't unhinge my jaw like a snake."

"Hm, whatever. Who's next? Bree, another round please?" Amelia laughed.

One of the female bikers looked over at her and said, "Honey, you should be on the floor."

"I am not even drunk." Amelia giggled. She shakily climbed onto the bar, holding her hand above her head and hopping saying, "My tolerance is way up here!"

"Woah, easy girl!" Damon helped her down.

Amelia giggled. "Oops."

Damon was trying to teach her how to play pool, and even Damon had to admit that it was not easy to teach a drunk girl how to play pool, when her phone started ringing. Amelia looked down to see that Liz was calling her. She answered the call and jogged out of the bar.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Amelia? Where are you?" Liz asked.

"Uhh, hold on, it's loud in here." She said, throwing on her coat and stepping outside.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm great, why?"

"I got a call from the school- " Liz began, but Amelia tripped down the steps and her phone went flying.

Amelia groaned and picked her phone back up saying, "Hello?"

All of a sudden, a man grabbed her from behind and threw a hand over her mouth, silencing her. Amelia dropped her phone as he pulled her away.

About twenty minutes later, Amelia found herself on top of a very tall, very complicated metal structure of some sort. Damon came into view and Amelia yelled, "Damon, run!"

Out of nowhere, the man that had attacked her started beating Damon with a metal baseball bat. "Ow!" Damon yelled, "What the hell?!"

Amelia tried so hard to incapacitate the man, to kill him even, but she was just so drunk. She couldn't feel her magic. She couldn't do anything, but climb down the treacherous structure she was on which was no easy feat even if she hadn't been drunk.

The man sped away and started pouring gasoline on Damon. She somehow reached the bottom without dying and ran towards him, "Damon, no!" She shouted. Right before she reached them, the vampire turned towards her and glared at her menacingly.

"Who are you?" Damon seethed.

The vampire shook his head, "That's prefect. You have no idea."

"What're you talking about, what did he do?" Amelia yelled.

The vampire turned towards her, "He killed my girlfriend." He turned back to Damon and poured more gasoline on him. "What did she do to you, huh? What did she do to you?!"

"Nothin.'" Damon grunted, painfully.

Amelia's mind was whirring, "I don't understand." She cried, wrapping her arms around herself.

"My girlfriend went to visit Stefan. And Damon killed her, got it?" He yelled, before kicking Damon in the head. Damon groaned in pain.

"Lexi? Lexi was your girlfriend?" Amelia realized, feeling nauseous. "She told me about you. She said that you were human."

"I was." He said, pulling out a lighter.

Amelia tried to stall. "Lexi turned you?"

"If you wanna be with someone forever, you gotta live forever." He replied.

Amelia cringed as Lexi's boyfriend kicked Damon in the head again. She tried to reach her magic, but she couldn't feel anything. Amelia shook her head, stalling. "She loved you!" She blurted. "She said when it's real, you can't walk away."

"Well that's a choice you're not going to have to make!" He yelled at her.

"Don't." She begged. "Please, I love him! Please!" She shouted, pleading.

"I'm doing you a favor." He said, the flame coming to life.

"Lexi loved you. And she was good and that means you're good, too. Don't do this, I'm begging you! Please."

Lexi's boyfriend picked up Damon and looked at him for a minute before throwing him hard into a metal wall.

"Thank you." Amelia said quietly.

"It wasn't for you." He said before running away.

Amelia ran over to him. "Damon! I'm so sorry. I-I couldn't feel my magic. I shouldn't have drank so much-."

Damon groaned, "Did you mean what you said?"

Amelia played dumb, "What do you mean?"

Damon looked at her, "When you said you loved me?"

Amelia looked away from him. "I was just trying to save you." She helped him up. "C'mon, let's go home."

"In a minute," He groaned, "I have something I have to take care of first."

The two of them walked in silence back to the car for what felt like an eternity. "Stay here. Lock the doors. And… don't look inside." He advised as he walked in the bar. Amelia rested in the car, too tired to think, and she fell asleep within seconds.

That next morning, she woke up and she asked him, "Why did you bring me with you?"

"Well, you're not the worst company in the world, Lia. You should give yourself more credit." He said.

"Seriously?" She asked, not believing him.

"I know. You were there in the road, all damsel-in-distress like. And… you're not the worst company in the world, Lia."

Amelia sighed, looking at the scenery. "I used to be more fun."

"You did okay." Damon stated.

Amelia suddenly realized smugly, "I saved your life."

Damon looked over at her and said in the same tone, "I know."

"And don't you forget it." Amelia teased.

Amelia and Damon chatted the rest of the way back to Mystic Falls. They argued playfully about the radio, and when Amelia began singing along to that new Taylor Swift song, Damon groaned. Amelia learned that he liked alternative rock like she did, but that he mostly enjoyed classical rock. They ended up listening to a lot of Bon Jovi, as the pair both enjoyed him immensely. Amelia listened attentively as he told her about when he met Bon Jovi.

The conversation became more serious. "Damon, you can't keep kidnapping me like this. If my social worker were to find out, or CPS, they could take me away from Liz and put me back in the foster care system." She said worriedly, biting her nails.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Don't worry, I'd sort it out for you." He winked at her, "Perks of being friends with a vampire."

"I'd rather it not come to that…" Amelia trailed off, watching the trees blur past her.


	15. Chapter 14: Unpleasantville

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 14: Unpleasantville**

**December 7, 2009**

Amelia Whitmore, Bonnie Bennett, and Elena Gilbert were sitting in The Grill, eating french fries.

Bonnie was still surprised. "I can't believe you're adopted. I never saw that coming!"

Elena sighed. "And it gets weirder. I looked at my birth certificate. It lists Miranda and Grayson Gilbert as my birth parents. None of it makes any sense."

Amelia chimed in. "Which is why you should ask Jenna."

Elena groaned, but Amelia continued. "First of all, the Elena I know, would want the real truth, good or bad."

"And second of all?"

"You just found out your boyfriend is a… _vampire_. So unless you find out your birth parents are aliens, how bad could it be?" Amelia finished as Bonnie and Elena chuckled.

"Ah, okay, look I've gotta go to the store. My outfit for the dance is severely lacking accessories." Elena groaned before leaving The Grill.

Amelia and Bonnie went there separate ways. Amelia walked outside into the dark, and unlatched her bicycle from the post when her phone started ringing.

"Hello, Amelia." A voice that she didn't recognize said.

"Hey, who's this?" Amelia replied, confused.

"You hit me with your truck, remember?" Amelia almost dropped her phone as her heart took off racing. Amelia looked around and saw a man coming towards her. "You got away from me. You won't next time."

Amelia dropped her phone, ready to face the attacker. He was wearing dark clothes, and a hoodie, and she couldn't see his face.

"Stay away from me, or I'll kill you!" She shouted, concentrating on exploding every blood vessel in his brain.

The vampire dropped to his knees, clutching his head and groaning. He sped away and Amelia glanced around for a few minutes, prepared for him to come back. She yelped when her phone made a noise and she picked it up off the ground. It had a small crack in the screen, but it was still usable. Amelia read the text message that she had received from the same number.

It said, "Ouch, kitty has claws ;) too bad not all your friends do…"

Amelia pulled out her phone and dialed Damon's number.

"What, witch-girl? I'm kinda busy at the moment." He drawled.

Amelia didn't say anything. Instead she just hung up her phone and rode her bicycle home in panic mode.

That next morning, she texted Stefan and told him that she was coming over to talk to him.

"Why me?" She asked. "What does he want with me, and if h-he's trying to kill me, why call first?"

Stefan replied. "It's because we're predators, Amelia. We hunt, we stalk… It's often as exciting as the kill itself… I-I'm going to give the Gilbert Compass to Elena. I know you can protect yourself, but I want her to have some sort of warning in case something happens."

Amelia nodded, "Okay. I'll try to keep an eye on everyone, the best I can." She said. The responsibility of the task setting her on edge, as she walked back outside to grab her bike.

Amelia was getting ready for the fifties dance at Elena's when she got a text message from Damon.

Damon: Stefan is offering to help me, can you believe it? Should I trust him?

Damon: Are you going to this stupid dance tonight? What're you wearing? ;)

Amelia ignored his messages. She still felt hurt from last night, when she had called him, afraid, and he had blown her off.

Amelia was reusing her Pink Ladies outfit from Halloween since it was from the fifties, and cute. She didn't have much money to blow on silly things like dances all of the time, anyway.

Amelia and Elena were styling their hair when Amelia heard a strange twitching noise.

Amelia frowned, "Is that the compass?" She asked.

Elena ran over to it and saw that it was indeed twitching. She dialed Stefan's number and yelled around the house, "Jenna?! Jeremy?!" The two girls ran downstairs.

Amelia heard Damon pick up. "Stefan's phone." He answered smugly.

"Where is he?!" Elena demanded.

"Oh, he's on his way to you. Forgot his phone." Damon replied.

"Thank God." Amelia said, taking a deep breath, but she still didn't feel right. She had a bad vibe.

"This compass was spinning. Stefan must almost be here. Thank you." Elena replied, much calmer now.

"You're welcome." Damon replied, smug as ever before they hung up.

Amelia was shocked when the vampire that had been stalking her jumped down from the ceiling. Elena gasped as he grabbed onto her and Amelia freaked out. She pushed a huge wave of power at him and he went flying off of her. Just as she did that, Stefan was suddenly there shouting, "Elena!" As he helped her off the ground. Amelia watched as the vampire sped out of sight.

Amelia didn't feel so good as she watched Stefan and Elena embrace. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "You're okay."

The hugged for a few moments, and Amelia felt something drip down onto her lip. She frowned as she dizzily reached up to touch her face as she realized her nose was bleeding. "Guys… I don't feel so good." She said before falling down onto the floor.

The world was dark for a few seconds and she could hear Elena and Stefan trying to say something to her, but it sounded like they were talking under water. Amelia blinked her eyes a few seconds later and sat up as they handed her a glass of water and a towel to dab her nose with.

"Lia, God, are you okay?" Elena asked, stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry." Amelia frowned. "I overexerted myself, I guess."

Stefan must've called Damon and told him what had happened because he strode through the door. When he saw Amelia sitting on the floor, he was in front of her in a flash and she flinched.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, touching her leg.

"I'm fine." She said stubbornly, fumbling up onto the couch. Damon asked her what happened and she explained to him everything that had happened with the vampire since she had hit him. Him stalking her, and calling her. His threatening text message.

"Why didn't you call me?" Damon questioned frowning.

"Because you were 'busy,' remember?" Amelia reminded him pettily.

"Well, how'd he get in?" Damon asked, annoyed.

"He was invited it." Elena began, the two of them looked at her in shock as Stefan explained.

"He posed as a pizza delivery guy last night."

"Well, he gets points for that. Did he say what he wanted?" Damon mused.

"No, he was too busy trying to kill me." Elena sighed.

"And you have no idea who this is?" Stefan asked, looking at Damon.

"No. Don't look at me like that, I told you we had company." Damon said.

Amelia frowned. "You think there's more than one?" She asked.

Damon shrugged. "We don't know."

"Damon," Stefan warned. "He was invited in." He emphasized.

Damon nodded. "Then we go get him tonight." He looked at the girls. "You up for it?" He asked.

Elena nodded. "What do I have to do?"

"Let your boyfriend take you to the dance. We'll see who shows up. I'll keep an eye on Amelia." Damon explained.

Amelia grumbled. "I can protect myself."

Damon smirked. "Well, it gives me an excuse to dance with you." Damon winked at her.

Stefan shook his head. "It's a bad idea."

Damon paused. "Until we get him, this house isn't safe… For anyone who lives in it. It's worth a shot." Damon looked at Elena, knowing that he would be able to convince her.

Elena considered before saying, "I'll do it. I'll be with the three of you, I'll be safe."

Damon and Stefan shared a look before they drove to the dance. Damon insisted on her riding with him in his Chevy Camaro. He had pouted and joked about him being all by his lonesome. Amelia had rolled her eyes but got in his vehicle anyway when he opened the door for her.

"You've been ignoring me." Damon said knowingly. Amelia didn't say anything. Damon groaned, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened last night, okay? I didn't know about what happened until Stefan told me this morning. If you had just _explained_ the situation to me, I would have come and got you in a heartbeat."

Amelia sighed. "I know, Damon. I'm sorry I hung up on you, I just felt hurt, I guess." She said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself.

Amelia was surprised by how well the gym had been decorated for the dance. Almost everyone was dancing to a catchy fifties tune that she didn't recognize. Amelia felt overwhelmed by all of the emotions flooding into her. She didn't have the ability to block them out after sending out so much power a few minutes ago.

Elena was clutching onto Stefan, looking around warily and Amelia surprised herself when she grabbed onto Damon's arm. "I've gotta go." She gasped before jogging away from the crowd.

She pulled at her sleeves anxiously as she sat on a bench outside, looking around warily. Her heart was racing. It was too overwhelming for her to be around so many people right now. She put her head in her hands and tried to get a hold of herself.

She flew out of her seat when someone put their hand on her shoulder. She backed away, almost tripping, before pausing when she realized it was just Damon.

"What's got you so on edge tonight?" He asked her warily.

Amelia groaned. "You mean besides the psycho vampire that's been stalking us?" She asked irritated before taking a deep breath and saying more calmly, "When that vampire jumped on Elena, I just freaked. I sent out a burst of power - way more than I should have used - and now I'm so drained. I can't put up my mental barriers. Being around a crowd like this is hard for me even when I can try to block it out… But right now it's just overwhelming." She explained picking at her jacket, embarrassed. She sat back down on the bench and hid behind her hair.

Amelia held her breath as Damon brushed the hair behind her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I can drive you home, if you want? You'd be safe there. I'd offer to stay with you, but I can't leave Stefan for long with everything that's going on…" He trailed off.

Amelia took in a deep breath. "No, it's okay, really. Stefan needs you here. I'll be fine." She lied, smiling at him. "Now, c'mon. There's no way you lived through this era without learning how to swing!" She laughed pulling him back into the school.

Amelia focused on her breathing as excitement, loneliness, lust, and anger rushed into her. She focused on separating her own emotions from the crowd's.

"You okay?" Damon asked her, rubbing the top of her arms.

"I'm fine." She said. "So, what were the fifties really like? I have this picture in my head of 'Grease,' but, it's all varsity sweaters, and milkshakes." She asked as they danced together.

Damon smirked, "Well, there was that. There was also McCarthyism, segregation, nuclear arms race…" He trailed off.

Amelia frowned. "Okay, but there were poodle skirts?"

Damon sighed. "Yes, there were poodle skirts."

He dipped her and Amelia giggled, shrilly. The song ended and he kissed her hand, smiling at her before they parted ways. Amelia went to grab a drink as she watched Damon get rejected by Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena. Amelia wasn't sure what they said to him, but she felt bad. She sipped her drink as she watched the party-goers have fun. She was surprised when she noticed Mr. Saltzman strike up a conversation with Damon.

After they had parted ways, Damon seemed to be giving him a weird look. Amelia was surprised to see Mr. Saltzman heading towards her.

"Hey, Amelia, having fun?" He asked her, accepting a drink from Jeremy Gilbert.

Amelia gave him a small smile. "Yeah, Caroline really outdid herself decorating. How're you enjoying your first Mystic Falls dance?"

Mr Saltzman chuckled. "Much more than my high school dances…" He paused before starting, "Listen, I don't mean to overstep, but you're one of my best students and I want to look out for you. Be careful around Damon, yeah? He's a lot older than you…"

Amelia flushed, feeling embarrassed and irritated. "We're just friends, Mr. Saltzman."

He grimaced, "Please, call me Ric. Mr. Saltzman is my father."

"Not to overstep, _Mr. Saltzman_," Amelia emphasized, "But I don't think my relationship with Damon is any of your business." She said, annoyed before tossing her punch in the trash and walking away abruptly. She couldn't believe that he had said that to her.

She had just sat down off to the side when a fast-paced song came on. Damon appeared to her left and helped her out of her chair. He whispered in her ear saying, "I do believe I promised you a swing dance."

Amelia shrieked in surprise as he picked her up and swung her around. By the end of the crazy dance, there was a small crowd gathered around them that clapped. Amelia giggled, feeling exhilarated. There was a reason they called it a swing dance. Amelia saw Elena and Stefan watching them and she jogged over to them. "Oh, my gosh, did you see that? That was so crazy!" She laughed.

Stefan was looking at her and Damon warily, but Elena pulled out her phone and showed Amelia a picture that she had snapped of the two of them during the dance. "Oh, wow! Elena, that's awesome, can you send it to me?"

Elena nodded and Stefan asked them seriously, "Have you seen anything?"

They both shook their heads and Damon replied, "Nope."

Damon muttered something about grabbing some punch and Amelia and Elena chatted for a few minutes. Elena suddenly turned rigid and muttered, "Stefan, the back corner."

Amelia and Stefan covertly glanced in the corner to see a man in a black hoodie that covered his face. Amelia almost thought that he looked different, but she couldn't be sure.

"Get Damon." He told Elena before turning to Amelia. "Watch over her, please."

Amelia nodded, but didn't think she would be much help tonight. Amelia watched Stefan take off towards him as they disappeared in the crowd. Amelia and Elena were pushing through the crowd when Amelia's phone started to ring.

"Hello, Amelia." The ominous voice of the vampire spoke. "Here's what you're going to do." Amelia glanced around, looking for him and Elena clutched onto her arm. "There's an exit door behind you. You have 5 seconds."

"No!" Amelia said.

"Or Elena's brother dies. I can snap his neck so fast I bet there's not even a witness." He threatened as Elena and Amelia's eyes rested upon Jeremy Gilbert at the punch table and the vampire staring at them menacingly. "Now start walking."

Elena snatched the phone from Amelia's hands. "Don't you dare touch him!" She threatened.

"Keep walking." He instructed. "Through the door."

Amelia grabbed her phone back and sent a text to Damon saying, "SOS" before sprinting after Elena who was already halfway down the hall. They rounded the corner together but came to a locked door.

Amelia grabbed her hand yelling, "C'mon!" As she led them through the cafeteria. She felt her heart sink as she realized that these doors were locked as well.

The vampire pushed through the doors and came towards them. She summoned up every ounce of energy that she had and focused on incapacitating the vampire as she shouted to Elena, "Run! Go get Stefan and Damon!" Elena paused. "Go, now!"

Elena was able to run right past the groaning vampire that lay on the floor, clutching his head. Amelia felt the blood dripping down from her nose, but she refused to let up. Suddenly, the vampire sped over to her, and Amelia lost her grip on the magic. Amelia screamed as he gripped onto her hair, before sending her flying over a table and onto the floor. Amelia groaned as she she searched for a weapon on the floor. He flipped the table over as he came towards her. He grabbed onto her and lifted her against the wall. Veins appeared under his eyes and Amelia saw his fangs coming towards her neck. Panicked, Amelia stabbed him in the chest with a pencil she had found on the ground.

The vampire pulled the pencil out of himself and grunted. Amelia stabbed him again, this time in the hand as he tried to block her, and again, in the lung. Amelia ran from him as he fell on the ground, wheezing in pain. She stumbled and almost tripped on a mop bucket and she couldn't believe her luck. She managed to break the wooden mop over her leg to create a stake. Amelia couldn't feel it now with the adrenaline pumping through her, but she was sure she'd have a huge bruise on her leg later.

Amelia attempted to stake him in the heart, but he grabbed the stake and tossed it across the room. She screamed as he grabbed onto her. She could feel his fangs scrape her neck when he was suddenly ripped away from her by Stefan. "Hey, dickhead!" Damon called, holding onto her makeshift stake. "Nobody wants to kill you, we just want to talk." He lied.

The vampire attempted to run at Elena and Damon threw the stake to Stefan in a blur. Before the vampire could reach Elena, Stefan stabbed him in the stomach with the stake. "Now you feel like talkin'?" Stefan taunted.

"Screw you." The vampire grunted.

Amelia cringed as Stefan plunged the stake further into him. "Wrong answer." He said, coldly.

"Why're you doing this?" Stefan interrogated.

"Because it's fun." The vampire replied, smirking at Amelia and Elena.

"What do you want with them?" Stefan continued.

"She looks like Katherine… And the blonde is a witch. We need a witch." He groaned.

"You knew Katherine?" Damon asked, surprised.

The vampire chuckled. "Oh, you thought you were the only ones. You don't even remember me."

Damon crouched down next to him. "Tell me how to get in the tomb. Hmm?"

"No." He breathed.  
Stefan hurt him again, and the vampire groaned.

"The grimoire."

"Where is it?" Damon seethed.

"Check the journal, the journal. Use Jonathan's journal. Jonathan Gilbert's." He gasped. Amelia had to look away while they tortured him.

"Who else is working with you?"

"Who else is there?" Damon demanded.

"No." The vampire breathed. "You're gonna have to kill me."

Amelia watched as Stefan and Damon exchanged a look. Stefan pulled the stake out of him before plunging it through his heart. Elena clutched onto Amelia. The way the vampire shriveled up and turned gray reminded Amelia of Vicki…

Elena gasped, "What do we - how are you gonna find the others now?"

"He had to die." Damon stated, simply.

"But," Elena protested.

Amelia squeezed her hand. "Elena, he's been invited in."

There was a noise over by the doors and a man walked by. Stefan nodded to Damon, "Go, I got this." He said. Damon took off, to clean up their tracks.

A few minutes later, Amelia sat, leaning up against a locker as she listened to Damon and Stefan's conversation.

"There's no way that idiot was working alone." Damon mused.

"You are." Stefan replied, cheekily. Damon smirked at Stefan and gave him a look. "So, the grimoire. That was Emily's, right? That's what you need to reverse the spell. When the Founding Families burned her, they took her things, and you were hoping that Dad's journal would tell you where it is." Stefan deduced.

Amelia picked at her jacket. She wished that Damon would stop caring about Katherine. "Look at you, puttin' the pieces together. Good for you. I was half right. Well, it's out there now. Let the games begin." Damon taunted.

"My offer still stands." Stefan replied.

"Yeah, with some hidden caveats, no doubt." Damon retorted.

"No, nothing hidden about it. No lies. No deception. I'm there when you open up that tomb, you and Katherine go, and the other twenty six vampires die."

"If I agree?" Damon asked.

"I'll help you."

"Why should I trust you?" Damon asked.

"Because I'm your brother." Stefan replied, simply.

"No, that's not gonna cut it." Damon said.

"Because I want you gone." Stefan replied, honestly.

Damon raised his eyebrows and considered his offer for a moment before nodding and saying, "Ok."

Amelia sat quietly, contemplating what life would be like without Damon.


	16. Chapter 15: Children of the Damned

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 15: Children of the Damned**

**December 11, 2009**

Amelia spent the majority of the day doing homework. Around noon, Sheila called her and asked her to come over. Amelia obliged, and Sheila spent the next few hours showing her and Bonnie new spells.

Amelia had to shut off her phone after Damon kept messaging her incessantly.

Damon: Stefan and Elena are helping. Are you in?

Damon: Do you think I can trust them?

When she walked outside, about to ride her bike home, she checked her messages to see that Damon had messaged her yet again.

Damon: Cooking dinner at Elena's… I'll make sure to bring my kiss the cook apron. Don't miss out ;)

Amelia: For someone who's so obsessed with his ex-girlfriend, you sure seem to flirt with me a lot.

Amelia sighed and rode her bike to Elena's. She knocked on the door, and of course Damon had to answer. "Um… Where's Elena?" She asked.

"She'll be here later. C'mon, you can help chop veggies." He said, pulling her into the kitchen.

Amelia groaned, but followed him in anyway. She greeted Jenna and Damon put her to work, chopping up the tomatoes. They somehow got onto the topic of past relationships.

"My father never approved of anyone I dated. Which only made me want them more, of course." Damon smirked, glancing at Amelia. "What about you?"

"I guess I've been waiting for the right person…" She said vaguely. Jenna looked at her a giggled.

"Well, there was Tyler Lockwood." Jenna said, smugly.

"Lockwood? The mayor's son?" Damon questioned, politely.

"Yes… It didn't take me long to figure out he was as much of a douche as his parents… Besides, I'm not a member of a Founding Family, so they didn't approve. I'm pretty sure they only tolerated it because of my relation to Whitmore College…" She trailed off. "But enough about me. What about you, Jenna? I know you have a few horror stories."

Jenna paused, sipping on her wine from the counter. "There were a few guys. Logan isn't the only loser I've dated."

"They ever find him? Or is he still missing?" Damon questioned, knowing perfectly well that he was dead.

"He's not missing. He's in the Bahamas working on his tan. Very entitled, that one." Jenna laughed. "Marches to his own drum. He's a Fell - they're all snooty."

Damon laughed along with her, as he refilled her wine glass. Damon turned to the sink and he called out over his shoulder. "Hello, Elena."

Amelia knew that no normal human would be able to tell that she was there.

"Hey, where have you been?" Jenna questioned. "We're cooking dinner." She explained.

"Is Stefan with you?" Damon asked.

"Um, he'll be here soon." Elena responded.

Amelia worked quietly, listening to their chatter for a few minutes. Jenna had left to use the restroom and Amelia was carrying dishes to set the table when Damon ran right into her.

"Whoa, mm." He said, dramatically.

Amelia chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Damon questioned, innocently moving across the room.

"You know what. That move was deliberate." She said, slightly irritated.

"Well, yeah, I was deliberately trying to get to the sink." Damon gestured innocently to the sink.

Amelia shook her head and scoffed. She didn't notice Elena quietly observing them.

"What's going on with you two, anyway?" Elena questioned.

"What? Nothing." Amelia denied, grabbing silverware.

Damon winked at Amelia. "Don't mind her, she's just jealous that we're BFF's."

Amelia chuckled and left the room to finally set the table. Damon was such a jackass.

"Speaking of Stefan, where is he? He's missing family night, which I am enjoying immensely." Damon teased. Amelia thought he was prying, Elena hadn't even mentioned Stefan. Elena didn't respond to his question. "Is it real?" Damon asked, seriously.

"Is what real?" Elena asked.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood. Can I trust him?"

"Yes, you can trust him." She heard Elena say.

"Can I trust him?" She heard him ask again.

"I'm wearing vervain, Damon. It's not going to work."

She heard Damon respond. "I'm not compelling you. I just want you to answer me. Honestly."

"Of course you can." Elena responded, again.

"There was a time that I trusted him more than anyone." Damon explained.

"Trust breeds trust. You have to give it to get it." Elena responded.

"Are you lecturing me?"

"Do you need to be lectured?"

"I just want her back. I'm sure you can understand that."

"I can understand that you would do anything for her, yes."

"Then, you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way." He threatened.

Amelia held her breath as she suddenly felt his body behind her. "I need to talk to you." He whispered in her ear. Amelia blinked and when she opened her eyes, they were standing outside on the dimly lit porch.

"A little warning would be nice." She said, sitting on the bench and crossing her legs underneath her. Damon sat down, too, and threw his arm around her shoulder. Amelia held her breath in surprise before releasing it.

"When the time comes…" Damon began, "…and I have all of the tools to open the tomb, will you open it for me?"

Amelia thought quietly to herself for a moment. She knew that her reasons for not wanting to help him were purely selfish. "I don't know, Damon… I need to keep the town safe."

Damon frowned. "The town will be safe. As soon as I get Katherine, we'll leave."

Amelia frowned and took his hand, playing with his fingers. "I don't want you to leave." She whispered, gently playing with his ring. "I thought we were friends."

Damon grabbed her hand. "We are friends, Lia. And friends help friends, don't they? I promise I'll come back and visit you." He lied, trying to coerce her.

Amelia contemplated what he was saying, believing him. She felt so selfish. She wanted to be with Damon, even though she knew it was wrong. She also wanted him to be happy. "Okay." She whispered, taking a deep breath, and trying to get a grip on her emotions. "I don't know if I'll be able to do it alone, though. It seems like a powerful spell."

"We'll figure it out." Damon said, smiling. This was the happiest she had seen him in a long time. Damon hesitated for a moment before leaning closer and murmuring, "Has Elena said anything to you? I don't trust them."

"No, nothing." Amelia said, honestly. She was pretty sure that they wanted to be rid of Damon.

A few minutes later, Amelia found herself playing Call of Duty with Damon and Jeremy. "You said you'd never played this thing before." Jeremy complained as Damon was beating them.

"I'm a fast learner. Quick reflexes." Damon replied, not looking away from the screen.

"More like an unfair advantage…" Amelia muttered.

Jeremy paused the game as his phone vibrated and Damon gave him a "what the heck?" look before Jeremy put his phone up. "Who are you dodging?" Damon asked.

"This girl, Anna. She can be, uh, persistent." Jeremy explained.

Damon asked, "Is she hot?"

"Yeah, yeah, but she can be weird." Jeremy admitted.

"Hot trumps weird, trust me." Damon drawled. Amelia hit him with her controller.

"Don't listen to him, Jeremy." Amelia said.

The doorbell rang and she heard Elena say, "That's Stefan."

Damon hopped up and opened the door while Jeremy complained, "Dude!"

Amelia noticed that Stefan seemed surprised to see Damon and Elena standing together as he opened the door. "Well?" Damon asked impatiently.

Elena gestured for Amelia to come with them as they stepped out onto the porch. Amelia shut the door behind her as she followed after them.

"Who took it?" Damon demanded angrily.

"I don't know." Stefan responded.

"You know what, it's that teacher. There's something really off about him." Amelia thought about her conversation with him at the dance, and how he had warned her to stay away from Damon.

"No, he doesn't know anything. Somebody got to him right before me." Stefan explained.

"Who else knew it was there?" Amelia asked.

Amelia watched as Stefan looked at Jeremy through the blinds.

"No. Damon, leave him out of it!" Elena protested as Damon went inside.

Damon ignored her. "Why, what's the big deal?"

"Damon!" Elena yelled.

"So… I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?" Damon questioned.

"Huh?" Jeremy asked, not looking up from his game.

"Don't ask questions, just spill." Damon demanded.

Jeremy laughed. "You're kidding me, right?"

Elena interjected, "Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr. Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?"

Jeremy groaned. "Why is is everybody so obsessed with that thing?"

"Who else did you tell?" Elena asked.

"Just that girl, Anna."

"The hot weird one?" Damon questioned.

"Yeah," Jeremy agreed.

"Wait, who is Anna?" Stefan asked.

"That's what I want to find out. How do you know her?" Damon questioned.

Elena's phone began to ring, and she walked off to answer it.

"I just know her." Jeremy said vaguely. "She wants me to meet her at The Grill tonight."

"Perfect! I'll drive, come on." Damon said, pulling Jeremy up.

"Okay." Jeremy agreed. Amelia watched Stefan walk upstairs with Elena and she decided to follow Damon and make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

They arrived at The Grill and Jeremy took off to find Anna. Judging by the look on Damon's face, he seemed to know her. Amelia thought that was probably not a good thing.

Damon made her wait in the car as he tracked her to her hotel. Amelia protested, saying that she could help him, but she eventually agreed. While they had waited for her to leave The Grill, Damon had explained that he knew her back when he was human, and that her mother was one of the vampires in the tomb.

Amelia was starting to get worried when he still hadn't come out after ten minutes. Just as she was about to go investigate, he was suddenly in the drivers seat, and they were speeding out of the parking lot. Damon had a manic smile on his face, and he seemed ecstatic.

"This is finally happening!" He said, gripping onto the steering wheel tightly.

"Damon, where're we going?" Amelia asked, confused.

"To find the grimoire, at my father's grave." He explained.

Just minutes later, Damon was running with her through the forest.

Amelia's stomach felt queasy as he set her down in a torch lit section of the forest. She was surprised to see Elena and Stefan there next to the freshly dug up grave, the grimoire in their hands.

"Well what do you know. This is an interesting turn of events." Damon spit through his teeth, glaring at them.

"I can't let you bring her back. I'm sorry." Stefan said, not sounding very sorry.

"So am I. For thinking for even a second that I could trust you." Damon spoke, shaking his head. Amelia could feel his feelings of betrayal and disappointment radiating through her.

"Oh, you are not capable of trust. The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself." Stefan seemed to notice Amelia appearing out from behind the trees. "Well, you and Amelia. But of course, you're only using her, right, Damon?"

_What was that suppose to mean? _Amelia thought.

"Of course I was going to do it by myself because the only one I can count on is me! You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan." Damon turned to the side, looking at Amelia. "But you, you had me fooled." He said looking at her with hurt in his eyes.

"What?! What're you talking about? I did't know about any of this." Amelia denied, honestly.

"Oh, please." Damon seethed. "Like your little best friend Elena didn't fill you in on their plan."

Damon turned back to Stefan, "So, what're you going to do now? Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out." He said gesturing to Amelia.

"You won't kill her." Stefan denied, shaking his head. "You need her to preform your little ritual. That's all she is to you."

"You know what, you're right, Stefan. I _am_ using her! That's all she is to me, a tool to get Katherine back!" He shouted back at him. Amelia felt her whole world shatter around her. "No, I'll do one better. I'll rip your precious Elena's heart out."

"You won't kill her." Stefan denied, yet again.

Stefan and Damon shared a look before Damon sped off and grabbed Elena from behind. "I can do one better." He said, biting into his wrist and feeding his blood to Elena. "Give me the book, Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck, and you and I will have a vampire girlfriend."

Amelia watched the exchange, terrified and in shock. She couldn't do anything in fear of hurting Elena.

"Let her go first." Stefan pleaded.

"The book!" Damon commanded.

"I'm not going to give this to you until she is standing next to me." Stefan compromised.

"The problem is that I no longer trust that you'll give it back." Damon glared at him.

"You just did the one thing that ensures that I will." Stefan promised.

Damon seemed to think about it for a minute before gesturing for Stefan to hand the grimoire over.

"Okay." Stefan said quietly, tossing the book over to him.

Damon slowly released Elena and she ran into Stefan's arms, the pair of them walked away, quickly.

Damon turned his eyes to Amelia and she backed away from him, fearfully.

She felt a flutter of wind and his hand brush by her neck.

"I'll be holding onto this until you need it." Damon said, holding the grimoire in one hand, and her talisman in the other and then he disappeared.

Amelia refused to cry as she ran to catch up with Stefan and Elena.

The car ride back to her house was quiet. Amelia laid on her bed quietly as Elena washed Damon's blood off of her. "Aspirin must be downstairs. Is my head supposed to hurt like this?" Elena questioned Stefan.

"You'll be fine. It was just a small amount of blood, it should pass out of your system by tomorrow." Stefan said, leaning against the wall.

Elena approached him, "Are you okay?"

"Damon was right. This is, uh… this is my fault." Stefan explained to them the night that Katherine and the rest of the vampires were captured. How he had accidentally caused his father to be suspicious of them, and gotten them captured.

"I put my faith in Father, and Damon put his faith in me. I destroyed that."

"You didn't do anything wrong. Don't forget that." Elena told him.

Stefan noticed Elena clutching her head and sighing, "I'm going get you that Aspirin."

"Okay." Elena agreed. He kissed her on the head before leaving. Elena went to sit next to Amelia.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Amelia asked dully, wanting to play with her necklace like she always did.

Elena sighed. "Stefan convinced me not to. We know you and Damon have been bonding a lot lately…"

"Was he really just using me?" Amelia asked her, her voice cracking.

"I don't know, Lia." Elena replied honestly, laying down next to her.

Elena glanced over at the window and started to say, "What the- "

Amelia felt a blinding pain in her head and then the world went black.


	17. Chapter 16: Fool Me Once

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 16: Fool Me Once**

**December 12, 2009**

Amelia felt someone nudge her awake. She groaned quietly at the pounding in her head, but peeked through her eyelids to see Elena with her finger over her mouth in a "shushing" motion. Amelia looked around and realized that they were in a strange hotel room, and a man was asleep in a chair near them. Amelia furrowed her brow, not remembering how they had gotten there, but she remained silent. She realized that he was Bonnie's date, and someone they had gone to school with.

Amelia and Elena carefully made there way across the room. Elena had just unlocked the door when the vampire appeared behind them saying, "I wouldn't." The girls spun around and he looked Elena in the eyes saying, "Don't try to escape. Don't even move. Do you understand?" He compelled.

"I understand." Elena replied, smartly, playing along. Amelia had to think fast. Without her talisman, she really could be compelled.

Amelia walked to the bed and laid down on it. The vampire seemed to be looking at her oddly. "What? I'm a witch. I can't be compelled, duh." She lied, shrugging. "If she's not going anywhere, I'm not going anywhere."

The vampire turned away from them and Amelia gestured for her to run. Elena looked conflicted, but she spun around and threw the door open anyway.

Amelia watched in horror as another figure shoved Elena back into the room. Amelia realized it was Anna, Jeremy's friend. "Seriously?" Anna asked.

"What? I told her not to move! I did that eye thing you taught me!" He defended himself, talking with his hands.

"You forgot the lesson about vervain, Ben. She dates a vampire, duh!" Anna replied, shoving Elena away from the door.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Elena demanded.

"Doesn't matter." Anna replied, grabbing onto Amelia as well and shoving the girls into the bathroom.

Elena turned on the light and Amelia observed the room, looking for a way to escape. She felt her eyes widen as she saw Bonnie Bennett laying in the bathtub. "Bonnie?"

Elena turned towards her and ran over to her. "Bonnie? Oh, my God." Elena wet a towel and pressed it to Bonnie's head.

"Bonnie?" She asked again.

Bonnie opened her eyes, "Elena, Amelia?"

"Oh, you're okay." Elena sighed, grateful.

"My head." Bonnie groaned. "Oh, my God. Ben is a vamp-"

"Shh!" Amelia shushed her, turning on the sink to mute their conversation. "They can hear." She murmured, pointing to her ear.

"I was so stupid." Bonnie groaned, sitting up.

"Oh, he had all of us fooled." Elena soothed.

"What's going on? Why're we here?" Bonnie asked.

"This is where Damon took me yesterday to see Anna. This must be the hotel that they're staying at. It must have something to do with the tomb and Emily's grimoire." Amelia realized.

"Her grimoire?" Bonnie questioned, confused.

Amelia sighed, explaining.. "Damon said that it could be used to open the tomb."

"Why didn't I know about any of this?" Bonnie asked, feeling hurt.

"I was trying to keep you out of it, hoping it would never come to this." Elena replied looking at Amelia.

"Come to what?" Bonnie asked, unsure.

"They need a witch… to break the spell and let the vampires out." Elena explained, looking at Amelia. "Damon had always assumed that Amelia would do it."

"No way!" Bonnie protested, shaking her head.

Just then the door burst open and the vampire, Ben, glared at them menacingly before shutting off the water. Amelia stood in front of the girls protectively, even though she couldn't really protect them.

"You're wasting your time. I'm not gonna help you." Bonnie glared at him.

"That's why she's here." Ben said, grabbing Elena. "Motivation for you to behave… And the other witch, well, she was sort of a freebie in case you don't work out…" He paused, turning the conversation to a more personal subject. "You know, you shouldn't be so desperate. You made it too easy." He pushed Elena into the bedroom and shut the door saying, "She wants to talk to you."

Amelia glared at Ben as she listened to Anna taunt Elena before she called Stefan and told him to meet her. Anna banged on the bathroom door and Amelia flinched. "I'm leaving." She said. Ben dragged Bonnie and Amelia out of the bathroom by their arms and sat them down on the bed. "Keep them buttoned down. Compulsion won't work. Just use violence." She instructed.

"All right, I got that." Ben acknowledged. "Sit, behave." He told them as Anna left and he took off his jacket.

"So, you're the key to this. Literally. The one who opens the door. Tell me, how long have you been a witch?" Ben asked Bonnie.

Elena interrupted. "Is there anything to drink here?"

Ben strode towards her menacingly. "Are you offering?" He asked. "There's water on the nightstand." He said, turning away.

"Hey," Bonnie whispered. "Can I have a sip?" She gave Elena a meaningful glance, and Amelia felt her heart pound as she hoped Bonnie could pull off whatever it was she was planning.

Elena handed Bonnie the glass and Bonnie threw the water at Ben, before igniting it with her mind. Fire creeped up his sleeve as the girls attempted to run out the door. Bonnie and Elena had made it out when he grabbed a hold of Amelia. Amelia screamed and struggled in his arms. "Run! Get Stefan!" The girls looked conflicted. "Go, I'll be okay!"

Ben threatened what he would do to Amelia if they ran away. Bonnie had tears streaming down her face, but she grabbed a hold of Elena and took off running.

Amelia tried to muffle her scream as the vampire bit into her throat. The pain was so intense. Amelia didn't think she had ever been this afraid in her life. Just when she thought that this was it… He threw her on the bed and wiped his mouth clean.

"Witches don't have eternal life, right? So you guys can die?"

Amelia groaned, clutching at her neck. "Yeah, we can die." She looked up at the ceiling and she felt like the room was spinning around her.

"Ah. That sucks." Ben taunted her.

"Go to hell." She murmured.

Suddenly, the door burst open and warm sunlight poured through the room. Amelia heard Ben scream as he was burned and felt the bed rustle as he hid behind it. She tried to sit up and see what was going on, but she couldn't muster up the strength.

She felt unfamiliar, strong arms lift her up. "Let's get outside." Stefan Salvatore said. He paused, glancing at Ben. "When the sun goes down, leave town. If I ever see you again, I will kill you."

Amelia felt a little better sitting on Sheila's couch after she had performed a healing spell on her. It wasn't as strong as vampire blood, and her wound was still there, but she didn't feel dizzy anymore.

"How did you know where we were?" Bonnie questioned.

"Many things can fuel a witch's power." Sheila explained. "Worry, anger… After Stefan told me that they had taken my girls, I had a lot of both. Simple locator spell was easy after that."

"I'm sorry," Bonnie apologized. "About all of this."

"Not as sorry as they're gonna be." Sheila said fiercely.

Amelia heard the front door open and she was shocked to see Elena and Stefan walk in. She couldn't believe that Sheila had invited him inside.

Sheila turned to Amelia, "Where is your talisman? How many times have I told you to never take it off? You know you're powerless without it." She said right in front of Bonnie, Elena, and Stefan.

"Powerless? What do you mean?" Stefan furrowed his brow.

"When she was a child, her mother performed a spell that transferred Amelia's powers into her talisman. There was a crisis that she needed help adverting. If Amelia takes off that talisman, she doesn't have access to her powers, nor does she have protection from compulsion." Sheila explained, simply.

Amelia felt embarrassed. "Damon took it from me. He said I could have it back 'when I needed it.'" She frowned, playing with her jacket.

"So what do we do now?" Elena asked.

"For now, you need to stay here." Stefan advised.

"A prisoner, in my own home? I don't think so." Sheila disagreed.

"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan warned.

"We'll protect ourselves." Sheila said gravely.

"We need to let him have Katherine back. He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it." Elena decided.

"No! He doesn't deserve to get what he wants." Bonnie spoke up. Amelia agreed with her.

"What other choice do we have?" Elena asked.

"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to do to stay out of it. I'll open the tomb - but only if Damon gives my girl her talisman back, and swears to never take it again. You get your brother's girl, and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will all be over." Sheila decided.

Amelia piped in, "I don't care what you decide. I'm not going to help Damon. I don't want to ever see him again."

It was quiet for a moment. "We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan chimed in.

"He already agreed once." Elena reasoned.

"Yeah, and then you double crossed him, so now he's hurt." Amelia glared at Elena and Stefan.

"I think I know what I have to do." Elena realized.

Amelia Whitmore sat in Sheila's living room, studying for her english test. She tried not to think about her friends, risking themselves to help Damon. Tried not to think about Sheila and Bonnie, overexerting themselves. Tried not to think about the fact that she was powerless. Tried not to think about Damon reuniting with his true love.

Amelia frowned at the dull ache she felt in the back of her gums. She made a mental note to schedule a dentist appointment.

She ended up falling asleep, only to wake up when she heard the door open and the light turn on. Sheila smiled at her and handed her the talisman tiredly.

Amelia put it back on, feeling much better, but she frowned as she looked at Sheila. "Are you okay?"

Sheila smiled, "I'm fine, just a little tired is all. Conjuring up so much power is tiring, after all." Sheila turned to walk in the kitchen and Bonnie followed after her.

"Hey, let me help you." Bonnie suggested.

"Oh, I'm fine. You don't need to coddle me baby." Sheila smiled at Bonnie.

"It was a big spell, Grams. I could tell it took a lot out of you." Bonnie said.

"I'll be fine." She smiled, heading to bed as Bonnie helped her.

Bonnie sat down with Amelia and told her everything. How Anna had taken Jeremy, and how Katherine hadn't been in the tomb with the other vampires. How heartbroken he had been.

Amelia was shocked, but she forced herself not to care.

Elena came over a few minutes later, and she called Stefan. Amelia listened to her side of the conversation. "Hey, I just got to Bonnie's… Yeah…. How's Damon? …Is he going to be okay? …Yeah, of course." She hung up. She watched Bonnie bring some tea into Sheila's room out of the corner of her eye.

"Amelia! Elena!" She heard Bonnie yell from the other room. They ran into the bedroom to see Bonnie crying over Sheila. "She's not breathing! She's not breathing! Please wake up!" Bonnie screamed.

"Elena, call 911!" Amelia shouted as she started ripping down grimoires, searching for the spell she needed.

Amelia heard Elena on the phone, but it sounded like she was speaking under water.

"No, no, come on!" She yelled, searching for a spell, any spell, that would save Sheila. "I can fix this! No, no, I can fix this!" She sobbed, as pages fluttered throughout the room.

"Bonnie!" Elena yelled at her, as she sobbed over Sheila's body. "Bonnie, come on."

Amelia sobbed as she realized she had failed Sheila. She didn't know a spell to fix this. She should have helped open the tomb. If she had, Sheila wouldn't have died, she realized.

Amelia screamed and every window in the house shattered.


	18. Chapter 17: A Few Good Men and There Go-

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 17: A Few Good Men and There Goes the Neighborhood**

**Winter Break**

Amelia Whitmore had attended Sheila Bennett's funeral, but she hadn't spoken to anyone there and she had left immediately after. Amelia had always hated winter. Had always hated the holidays and joy that surrounded it because it reminded her of what had happened to her father that terrible Christmas Eve. Ever since that day, Amelia hadn't celebrated Christmas. Liz had learned not to get her presents anymore because they remained unopened. She had switched the evergreen tree to an artificial one because Amelia couldn't stand the scent.

Amelia didn't go back to school until after winter break was over. Liz had called and made arrangements for Caroline to bring her work home for her. Amelia went to work when she was scheduled, and she did her homework, but she refused to practice magic. Refused to talk to her friends. For the first week, Amelia had made herself check in on Bonnie, but Bonnie never replied so she stopped. Similarly, her friends had left worried texts and voicemails on her phone, but she never responded and those stopped shortly after.

Most of Sheila's books and herbs and some of her things were residing in Amelia's closet. She would go through them and sort what to give to Bonnie when she felt up to it.

Sheila's old beaten up ford was sitting in the Forbes' driveway, but Amelia had yet to use it. The state was still transferring the title and she had no interest in touching it. She had been shocked when he found out Sheila had left it to her, along with quite a few of her belongings.

Amelia didn't eat much, but Liz left her meals everyday, anyway. She tried not to keep track of the day, tried not to count down the days until her parents death anniversary, but she couldn't help herself. And when December 24th finally came, she found herself down at the old cemetery, clutching a bouquet of flowers.

Amelia took a deep breath as she walked to the familiar gave, her footprints marking the freshly-laid snow. It was almost dark, and nobody else was there. Amelia had noticed people laughing and eating and talking around their Christmas trees from their windows as she had walked.

When she finally came to the grave, she knelt down on the snow, not caring that her knees were turning numb from the cold and that water was seeping through her jeans. She brushed away the snow to read the engraving: Michael Whitmore - A loving and devoted father. She glanced over to the second, newer grave, and brushed the snow away to read: Marcella Whitmore neé Deveraux: Devoted to protecting nature and her family.

Amelia forced herself not to cry as she stood up and brushed the snow off her legs. She refused to visit Sheila's grave, although she knew she ought to. It was too soon, the wound too painfully fresh.

Amelia heard the sound of a snapping branch and she felt as though someone was watching her. She glanced around, not even feeling scared, just numb. "Who's there!" She yelled, challenging the attacker. Amelia didn't care anymore. The only sound that answered her was the cawing of a crow.

When nobody appeared, she cautiously made her way home and hid in her bedroom while the Forbes' family celebrated downstairs.

About a week later, Liz knocked on her door and tried to talk to her.

"Please, Amelia? I really need help with the Founder's Day fundraiser. Carol Lockwood will kill me if I can't get more volunteers." Liz pleaded, sitting next to her foster daughter.

Amelia stared at the floor. "No, Liz, I'm sorry. I don't feel well."

Liz nudged her, "Are you sure? Damon will be there. You two seem to have been getting along lately."

Amelia jumped up off her bed and clenched her fists. "I don't ever want to see him again!" She yelled before running into the bathroom and locking the door.

Liz sighed as she took out her phone and dialed Amelia's social worker. Liz went into her own bedroom and shut the door speaking in a hushed voice.

Later that night, Caroline had stormed into her room and ranted about what a bitch Kelly Donovan (Matt's mom) was. She told her how Kelly had completely blown her off and reminisced with Elena the whole time about 'the good old days' when Elena and Matt had dated.

Amelia snorted, "Care, if Kelly can't see how great you are, then she doesn't deserve to know you." She said, hugging her sister.

Caroline pouted. "When are you coming back to school? We miss you."

Amelia sighed and played with her fingers. "I'll be back on Monday." Caroline shrieked and clapped her hands in joy.

That next morning, Amelia was awake much earlier than she should be. She had almost crawled right back in bed when she realized she'd have to drive Sheila's car for the first time. She had sat on the porch, looking much nicer in a pretty outfit and makeup, than she had in a long time, staring at the vehicle. She frowned as she played with the fabric of her shirt. It was much looser on her than it had ever been.

She wished that Sheila would climb out and smile at her and ask her, "What're you waiting for, baby? Let's go!"

Amelia knew that Sheila would never do that again… but still, she hoped.

Once she had decided that she was going to drive Sheila's car to school, the ride was pretty uneventful. She had pounded on the school doors and a nice janitor had smiled at her before letting her in saying, "Welcome back."

She sat and played the piano for almost an hour, humming along to the different tunes. It had been much too long since she had laid eyes on a piano.

After the bell had rung, she grabbed her things from her locker, and half-heartedly listened as Elena, Stefan, and Caroline made plans for a double date that evening. They didn't notice her until she had slammed her locked shut, swung her bag around her shoulder, and begun walking to class.

"Amelia!" She heard Stefan call from behind her, but she didn't look back.

She was about halfway through her first her class when the intercom buzzed. "Amelia Whitmore to the guidance office, please. Amelia Whitmore to guidance." The bored secretary droned.

Every eye in the classroom turned to her and she shied away from their eyes. Everyone knew that you didn't get called to guidance unless something really bad was going on. She kept her eyes down as she gathered her things and half-jogged out of the room. She noticed Elena trying to make eye contact with her, but she ignored her.

When Amelia strode into the guidance office, she was shocked to see Liz and her social worker, Dan, standing next to the guidance counselor. Because she was in the foster system, Dan had been assigned to her as her social worker. Every year, they would schedule a meeting and they would discuss how she was doing and her life goals, etc. She had never had him show up out of the blue before.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked, setting down her book bag.

"Why don't you have a seat." The guidance counselor said, smiling at her oddly.

Amelia wearily sat down and looked to Liz for an explanation. Before she could respond, Dan replied. "Your foster mom has been very worried about you, Amelia. From what I understand, you're having a tough time lately?" He looked at her sincerely, his hand resting on his goatee.

Amelia was shocked. She looked at Liz. "Is this for real, right now? You called him behind my back instead of talking to me?"

Liz threw her hands in the air. "I've tried talking to you, Amelia, but you just won't respond! I didn't know what else to do." She said desperately, hoping she had made the right decision.

Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she answered their questions. She mostly lied, saying that she was fine, and felt completely back to normal. She apologized for going postal, and promised that she would try harder.

Dan squeezed her hand. "I'm glad you're doing better, Amelia. We were worried that we might have to re-home you." He said, relieved.

Amelia sat through stiff hugs by all three of them before she rigidly walked back to class.

It was second period by the time her meeting had ended, and she handed the note from the guidance counselor to her english teacher before hurriedly taking a seat.

She realized her phone was buzzing and she discreetly took it out to silence it. She noticed that she had several texts.

Elena: Are u ok why won't u talk to me?

Care Bear: OMG i cant believe u got called down to guidance

Stefan: Damon isn't bothering you, is he?

Amelia glanced around as she realized everyone seemed to be glancing at her and whispering, giggling.

"Wow, Amelia Whitmore, who knew?"

"…I heard that she cuts herself."

"…Really? I heard that she was anorexic. I mean, look at how much weight she's lost…"

"… foster care? Like, everyone know's that foster kids are fucked up…"

"Well, I heard that she's suicidal!"

Amelia held her breath in shock as every overhead light exploded. Screams erupted around the room as the teacher herded them out. Amelia watched them go stonily, feeling numb - like she was disconnected.

Amelia realized that Stefan Salvatore was standing in front of her, looking concerned. She wondered how long he had been standing there. She couldn't find the energy to protest as he helped her out of her chair and led her out of the room.

Amelia tried to ignore the stares and the whispers. It was a long day, and she was grateful when the bell finally rang, marking the end of the worst Monday she had ever experienced.

As quickly as she tried to leave the building, Elena had somehow managed to corner her by the vending machines on her way out.

"God, Lia, are you okay? I heard what everyone's been saying. You know I'm here for you, right?" Elena said, putting a comforting hand on her arm.

Amelia shrugged her hand off and headed to the exit. "Yeah, Elena, I know."

"Wait! Why are you avoiding me?! I'm just trying to help you." Elena protested, feeling hurt.

Amelia sighed, "I need some space, Elena. After everything that happened with Sheila… I just can't be a part of this vampire thing. I don't want anything to do with it, okay? Just give me some space."

Amelia let the door slam on a watery eyed Elena Gilbert and she disappeared into the crowd.

A/N: Hi, guys! Not a whole lot of action in this chapter, but some important things that happened nonetheless! I combined two episodes into this chapter. Thank you for the feedback! Don't worry, Damon will be back soon ;) -TeamComrade11


	19. Chapter 18: Let the Right One In

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 18: Let the Right One In**

**January 16, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore laid in her dark bedroom listening to the echoes of the storm. She could feel the energy in the air - it made her feel more alive than she had felt in a long time.

She jumped when her phone pinged, confused. Who would be texting her this late at night? Or, early.

Damon: The vampires escaped the tomb and are roaming Mystic Falls. Watch your back.

Amelia frowned, feeling mixed emotions. She was pissed that he had the audacity to get in contact with her. Happy, that he was concerned about he safety, and pissed again at herself for being happy.

School passed by slowly that day as she ignored the stares and the whispers. She wished she could tune them out, but she felt so paranoid, wondering where the vampires were.

She tailed along with Caroline as she went to visit Matt who was working at The Grill.

Amelia felt irritated and jealous to learn that Damon and Matt's mom, Kelly had interrupted their date last night, flirting and making out. By the sounds of it, she was at the Salvatore House to hook up with Damon.

"I yelled at my mom last night. I feel like the parent, with the screwed up kid." Matt explained, annoyed.

"Well maybe she needed to hear it." Caroline advised.

"Yeah, but I just, I worry that if I push too hard, then she will take off again 'cause that's her M.O. Just like, Vicki, who I haven't heard from since she left." Matt groaned.

Amelia felt a fresh wave of guilt spread through her body. "Well, you can't control your mom, Matt. Any more than you can control your sister." Caroline said.

"I wish that she would just try a little, you know? If she would just try to try, that'd be ok."

"Maybe she'll surprise you. People have a tendency to do that." Amelia said bitterly, thinking about Damon.

"I should go before the roads get even worse from the storm." Caroline complained.

"Yeah, are you sure you should be driving right now?" Matt questioned, worried.

Caroline sighed. "I have to. It's my dad's boyfriend's daughter's birthday. We have a non-traditional, traditional ritual."

"Well, buckle up, don't speed, stay off your cell phone, and call me when you get there." Matt said, holding onto her shoulders.

Amelia glanced away uncomfortably. "Got it, anything else?" Caroline flirted.

"Yes." Matt said, leaning down to kiss her.

Caroline dropped Amelia off back at the house before leaving to go to her dad's. Amelia was worried about Caroline, but she had a lot of other things on her mind as well.

Amelia was sitting in the living room, her cat Merlin curled up in her lap, as she studied for her french quiz when her phone started buzzing, flashing 'Elena Gilbert.' Amelia frowned and let it go to voicemail, trying to concentrate on learning french conjugations. When Elena called for a third time, she sighed and picked up the phone. "Look, Elena, I'm pretty busy with school work, so-"

"Amelia!" Elena interrupted, sounding frantic. "You have to help me! It's the tomb vampires, they have Stefan!"

Amelia frowned, thinking over what she had just said. "I don't know what you want me to do about it."

"One of the tomb vampires compelled the woman who owns the house not to let Damon in. Alaric has already agreed to help, too, but I'm worried it won't be enough."

"Woah, Alaric? What? How much have I missed?" Amelia asked feeling extremely confused.

Elena filled her in briefly. She had found out that her birth mother, Alaric's dead wife, was turned into a vampire by Damon… Alaric was a vampire hunter… Oh, and by the way, Damon had killed Alaric, but his magical ring brought him back to life, and now they're good. No big deal.

Amelia sighed. "I refuse to be in the same vicinity as Damon. Not after everything he's done."

Elena cried, "Stefan saved you from that vampire, Ben, or did you forget? You owe him!"

"I'm sorry, Elena, but I'm done with the vampire drama." Amelia hung up her phone.

Amelia went back to her homework, but she couldn't concentrate. She ended up pacing around the living room about twenty minutes later, trying to convince herself that she had made the right decision.

She froze in her tracks as she was assaulted by a vision. Stefan was tied up in a basement while several vampires harassed him. He looked like he'd been through hell. She heard one of the vampires brag about the vervain soaked ropes that were holding him up, and Amelia noticed indeed that his wrists were a bright, irritated, red color. She watched in horror as they stabbed him and cut him. One of them even dripped vervain water into his eye, which she thought was just cruel. She was surprised when one vampire stood up for Stefan, but then he was attacked by the other vampires and left to the same cruel fate.

Elena Gilbert gasped in fear as she hid around the corner in the basement of the vampire compound. She sneaked a glance and saw that the vampire was coming closer, and closer, and closer…

Out of nowhere, Amelia Whitmore appeared and flicked her hand at him, snapping his neck and temporarily incapacitating him. "Are you insane?!" Amelia whispered to her, glaring harshly. She couldn't believe that Damon had let her come with them.

Just as soon as she had thought that, Damon rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the two unexpected surprises. Damon frowned. "What're you doing here?"

Amelia felt a rush of emotion engulf her as she though about everything he had done. Attacking her, using her, getting Sheila killed… Amelia realized that this was not the time and place for her to freak out, but she felt like she could if he looked at her the wrong way. "Saving your asses!" She hissed. "I can't believe you were stupid enough to bring Elena with you!"

Elena glared at her. "I can take care of myself."

Amelia glared at the both of them, before turning around and walking towards the basement, where she knew Stefan was.

The trio walked through the basement door, and Amelia found Stefan in the same position as she had seen in her vision. Stefan focused his gaze on his girlfriend. "Elena," He groaned. "You shouldn't be here."

Damon pushed past her. "She was suppose to stay in the car." He said as he moved to stake the vampire that was tied down next to Stefan.

"No, no, no!" Amelia protested, standing in front of him. "Not him."

"Whatever." He said, confused, before looking to Stefan. "Let's get you down." He said heading to untie his ropes. Amelia smirked in amusement as she watched him burn himself on the ropes.

"Ow!" Damon gasped, pulling his hand back.

"There's vervain on the ropes." Amelia explained smugly. She moved her hand in a slashing motion, and the ropes cut in half. Stefan fell to the floor, but Damon helped catch him.

"Alright, clothes on." Damon said to Stefan, passing him his shirt. "C'mon, let's go."

"Wait!" Amelia called, pulling the stakes out of the vampire, and stuffing them in her pockets. She cut his ropes as well before following the trio out the door.

"Can you get him in the car?" Damon asked Elena, who was half carrying Stefan.

"Yeah," Elena agreed.

"Alright, go." He told the three of them.

Amelia ignored him and continued to walk with him.

"What about you?" Elena asked.

"You rescue, I'll distract, go." He said, heading up the stairs. He suddenly seemed to realize that Amelia was following him. "Uh, uh, little witch."

Amelia glared with him. "I'm not playing around, Damon, let's go."

Damon groaned, but pushed her behind him as they went up the stairs.

Together, the two of them silently took out vampires: Damon staking, and Amelia snapping necks. When they came to one that Damon seemed to know personally, he threw the vampire into the wall and began to punch him. The fought with each other in a blur. Amelia didn't have time to intervene when two vampires came at her. She sent a wave of power at them and they went flying back, crashing into the wall. Out of nowhere, Mr. Saltzman appeared in front of her yelling, "Duck!"

Amelia looked at him with wide eyes, but she dropped to the floor as he blew a vervain dart at the vampire that was about to grab her from behind.

"Thanks." She breathed, as Damon helped her up.

"I'm going after Frederick!" Damon yelled, taking off in a blur.

Amelia and Alaric fought against vampires for a while. She would set their arm on fire, or their hair, whatever it took to distract them, and then Alaric would stake them. They were quite the pair.

Eventually, Amelia noticed that there was a lack of vampires coming at them. Damon appeared in the doorway. "Frederick's gone."

"Let's get out of here." Alaric suggested.

"I'm gonna kill him!" Damon yelled angrily as the trio stepped out onto the porch only to see at least a dozen more vampires walking towards them.

"How many of those vervain darts do you have left?" Damon asked warily.

Alaric checked his pockets. "One." He groaned.

"Not gonna be enough." Amelia said nervously as they retreated back inside.

Damon turned to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "I swear, Amelia, if we make it out of this alive, I'm going to make it up to you. Everything."

Amelia whispered, "I don't know if you can this time, Damon." Before wrenching out of his grip and pulling out a stake from her pocket. She had never staked a vampire before, but she reckoned she was about to learn how.

"So what you said to get me do to this, about my wife, it was a lie, wasn't it?" Alaric realized.

"Yep." Damon agreed, not even ashamed.

Amelia heard a thud from the other side of the door and an unfamiliar voice command, "Stop. What's going on here?"

Amelia frowned as she recognized Anna, the girl who had kidnapped her, Bonnie, and Elena, and an older woman who she thought was maybe her mother.

The older woman looked at Damon and asked, "What did you do?"

"Me?!" Damon replied, angrily. "Your merry little band of vampires spent the day torturing my brother."

Damon seemed to know this woman. "Trust me, the parties responsible for this will be dealt with." The older vampire apologized.

"Our little arrangement doesn't work unless you learn to control them." Damon threatened.

_Arrangement? What arrangement? Damon was working with these vampires?_

"This wasn't suppose to happen."

"Well it did. If I had a good side… not a way to get on it." Damon said, grabbing Amelia's hand possessively and pulling her out the door as Alaric trailed behind them.

Amelia found herself at The Grill with Damon and Alaric, not really knowing what else to do. Caroline had texted her and told he about finding Vicki's body. She had invited her to come to Matt's house, but she didn't think she could stand being around all of their grieving faces know that she was the reason behind it.

"That was fun." Damon chuckled. Amelia glared at him. "Oh, don't look at me like that. I know you hate me." Damon leaned towards her and comically whispered, "But guess what? Everyone hates me."

He leaned towards Alaric, tossing his arm around Amelia. "You can't deny… We were bad ass."

Alaric paused for a moment and finished his drink before punching Damon square in the face. Amelia flinched in surprise, but said nothing as he walked out of the bar. Amelia noticed that people were staring at them, so she sipped on her soda as she shrugged Damon's arm off of her.

Damon shrugged, taking a long drink of his Bourbon. "Happens."

Amelia sighed and left The Grill, heading to Sheila's car. She unlocked the door and slid in the drivers seat. She sat and tried to gather her thoughts for a moment, before leaning over to buckle her seat belt.

"Ahh!" She yelled in surprise when she noticed Damon was sitting next to her, the whole bottle of Bourbon in his hand. She muttered obscenities to herself as she smoothed her hair and tried to calm her heartbeat. "You can't just appear out of no where like that!" She scolded.

Damon seemed to think about her response for a moment before he tilted his head and took another swig of alcohol. "Actually, I'm a vampire, so I can." He said glibly.

Amelia glared at him before sighing, "Get out of my car, Damon."

Damon pouted, "But I thought we were buddies again?"

Amelia wanted to hit something. "You made it pretty clear that we were never 'buddies.'" She seethed.

"Oh, you mean what I said when I found Stefan and Elena digging up my father's grave? I-I-I didn't mean it. I was just angry." Damon frowned, as if he were above apologizing.

Amelia didn't believe him. "Damon, you threatened to rip out my heart to get to Katherine!"

Damon scoffed, "But I didn't."

"This whole time… I know you've been using me. I know that's why you were always so nice to me. Because you needed a witch." It hurt for her to finally admit it aloud to herself. Yes, she had know it for a while now, but it still felt like a fresh wound to her. She hid behind her hair as tears of frustration and sadness made her vision blurry.

She held her breath as Damon tucked her hair behind her ear. "Amelia, look at me." Damon said, quietly, grasping her chin and turning her head towards him. "I admit, that was my original reason for spending time with you." He paused, and Amelia fidgeted, unable to bear to listen to the truth at long last. "But, it's not like that anymore. You're my friend, Amelia… probably my only friend… and I'm sorry that I almost destroyed that." Amelia looked up at him. The sincerity she saw in his piercing eyes made her chest ache. She wanted to forgive him, but she didn't want to get hurt again. Damon cracked a smile, "And I might as well apologize for my future fuck-ups while I'm feeling a little tipsy." He joked, taking another swig of Bourbon.


	20. Chapter 19: Under Control

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 19: Under Control**

**January 30, 2010**

It had been a few days since they had rescued Stefan from the tomb of vampires. Everyone involved had had time to cool off. Amelia and Damon had _fought together._ Not against each other, but together, as a team, against the house of raging vampires, and she had felt exhilarated by it. She had never felt more alive and she hated herself for it.

Amelia still didn't want to be involved with vampires, but she had started to realize that, as a witch, she would probably always be involved in the supernatural.

That's why, when Elena had called her at eleven o' clock that night, crying about how Stefan had freaked out and ran off, she found herself on the Gilbert's porch. She had comforted Elena as she explained how ever since she had fed him her blood, he had been acting differently. And then, when they were making out, his face had "vamped out" as she called it. She admitted that for half a second she was terrified of him.

The girls stayed up late, talking. The next morning, Elena called Damon and asked him to come over.

Elena opened the door and Damon strode in, confident as ever.

"Oh good, you're here." Elena sighed, relieved.

"You ask, I come. I'm easy like that." Damon joked.

Amelia shushed him and pointed to Jeremy, warning him that they weren't alone.

Damon gasped, and said loudly, "No, Amelia, I will not make out with you on the couch!"

Amelia glared at him and Damon dodged her, knowing that she was about to give him a witchy migraine. Amelia noticed that Jeremy was looking at her weird and she hurried up the stairs and into Elena's bedroom.

"Ah, just like I remembered." Damon glanced around the room, pretending that he was funny.

Amelia frowned. _Why had he been in her room?_

Elena sighed, "Stop messing around." Amelia went and laid on Elena's bed. She frowned when Damon joined her and tried to cuddle with her.

"Damon!" She yelled, irritated before shoving him off the bed.

"Hey!" Damon protested from the floor. In a blur, he was sitting on the edge of the bed, but Amelia noted with pride that he was careful to stay away from her. Damon spoke to Elena, "Did you know that your uncle's been kickin' it with the founder's council?"

"What?" Elena asked surprised.

"Yep." Damon said.

"Perfect. We'll just add it to the growing list of how everything's falling apart." Elena said, starting to get upset.

Damon seemed to be looking at the corner of her bedroom that Stefan had destroyed. "What happened right there?"

"Uh, nothing." Elena lied. Amelia gave her a look. "Look, Damon, I-I'm worried about Stefan. He says that everything's ok, but he's clearly struggling. How long is it gonna take before he's back to normal?"

"Few days, give or take." Damon replied, playing with Elena's teddy bear.

"It's been a few days." Elena complained.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Give, then. I don't know. What's the big deal?"

"He's not himself, Damon." Amelia spoke up, trying to get Damon to understand Elena's frustration.

"Well, maybe his problem is he's spent too long not being himself." Damon said. Amelia noticed he had walked over to her bag and was twirling her bright red bra in his hand.

Amelia glared at him and flung it away from him with her mind. "Stop pushing me, Damon! I'm willing to give you another chance, but not if you're going to be a jackass about it."

"Please don't make me sorry for asking you." Elena sighed.

"It is what it is, Elena. The Stefan you know was 'good behavior"' Stefan, 'reign it in' Stefan, 'fight against his nature to an annoyingly obsessive level' Stefan, but if you think there's not another part to this, then _you_ have not been paying attention. Tsk, tsk tsk." He said, looking at a picture of Elena, Amelia, Bonnie, and Caroline from the fifties dance.

"He's not you, not even close." Amelia denied, grabbing the picture from him and putting it back.

"Well, he doesn't wanna be me. But that doesn't mean deep down that he's not. Mm, hm." Damon said, satisfactorily. He reached for Amelia's hand and whispered in her ear, "I need to talk to you." Amelia sent Elena a small smile as she followed after him into the bathroom. She stood nervously by the sink as he locked the door and stood rather close to her.

"Listen, Lia, Stefan is worse off than Elena thinks. I caught him red-handed, knee-deep in empty blood bags - not that he'll admit it. I just don't feel safe leaving Elena alone with him, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep an eye on him all by myself tonight at the Founder's Party…" Damon trailed off, looking into her eyes as he leaned close to her.

Amelia shifted uncomfortably. "Look, Damon, I don't know what you want me to do. I'm not a member of a Founding Family - I don't get invited to these things."

Damon smirked, "Well, you see, I happen to need a date, anyway, so this works out perfectly." He said unlocking the door and walking downstairs. "Oh! And, we're wearing black." He winked at her and then he was gone.

Amelia stared at the empty space that he had just occupied, dumbstruck. She looked at Elena to see her staring at her in surprise. "You're going on a date with Damon?"

"Sh! Don't say that. Of course we're not going on a date." Amelia said groaning before turning to Elena sheepishly. "Can I borrow your black dress?"

A few hours later, Amelia and Damon had arrived to the Lockwood mansion. Damon was looking particularly handsome in a black suit, or at least Amelia thought so, anyway. Amelia felt happy with her own appearance as well. She was wearing a timeless, long sleeved black dress with a sweetheart neckline that showed a hint of cleavage and a pair of black kitten heels. The dress made her curves stand out. Her hair was half up, half down, and curled, and she had on makeup that was ideal for a party. She had felt unsure about wearing heavy make up at first, but Elena had reassured her saying that she was far from being trashy.

Damon helped Amelia out of the car. He took her hand and kissed it telling her, "You look beautiful." Amelia blushed. Damon smiled, "Ahh, my beautiful, blushing… witch."

Amelia hit him playfully. "And just what are you? My tall, dark and handsome… murderous, psychotic, vampire?"

Damon winked at her. "And don't you forget it." The pair of them separated as she went to find Elena.

After she had made her way through the crowd of people, she finally found her, standing nervously off to the side. Amelia regretted thinking that she looked nice, because next to Elena, she felt like a sack of potatoes.

"Wow, you look gorgeous!" Elena smiled as she saw her.

Amelia gave her a small smile. "Thanks, so do you." Amelia looked around. "So, where's Stefan?"

Elena glanced around. "Um…"

Amelia felt someone tap her shoulder and she turned around to see Stefan standing there, a smirk on his face. Amelia thought it was an odd expression on him. "And that, is my cue," The girls giggled as Amelia left.

Amelia leaned against the back wall for a few moments, watching with concern as Stefan compelled the DJ to play better music than the smooth classical that was currently playing.

"Hmm." Damon pondered, grasping her hand and leading her with him over to Elena. "Have I entered an alternate universe where Stefan is fun?"

Elena looked at Stefan worriedly. "Is he going to be okay?" She asked Damon, as if he had all the answers.

"Eventually. One way or another." He told her, and the pair exchanged a look. Amelia noticed Elena's eyes flicker down to their still conjoined hands and she separated from him sheepishly.

Amelia observed the dance floor as Stefan and Kelly Donovan danced together, strangely. A few minutes later, she noticed Matt and Elena dancing as well.

Amelia noticed that Liz was across the room. She was dressed in a pretty black dress and she had styled her hair, even. Amelia protested as Damon dragged her over there.

"Ah, you know I love a woman in uniform, but I have to side with this look. You look smashing." Damon said, charmingly.

Liz chuckled shyly. "Thank you, Damon, I needed that." She looked at the pair in confusion. "Are you two here together?"

Damon chuckled, "Oh well, Amelia here was telling me about how much she wanted to go, but she isn't a member of a Founding Family, so I kindly offered my services." Amelia stomped on his foot and gritted her teeth as she listened to him lie.

"Hmm." Liz said, still not entirely pleased. "You know, I had my doubts about you at first. But, like everyone else on the council, you've won me over."

Damon pretended to smile shyly. "Hey, Lia, I think Elena wanted to talk to you." He hinted to her. Amelia wasn't sure why he wanted her to leave, but she trusted him that it was for a good reason. She quietly excused herself and paused behind the corner, listening to their conversation. "I-it's really nice how welcoming the council's been. I like my life here in Mystic Falls! It's starting to feel like home again."

"Well, then you're not gonna like what I have to tell you. Jonathan Gilbert's claims check out. The blood banks, the missing people, all of it's true. We might have a problem."

"Excuse me, Sheriff?" Jeremy Gilbert's voice interrupted. "Um, I was curious if there's been any more information on what happened to Vicki Donovan."

"It was an overdose, Jeremy." Liz explained, confused.

"Yeah, but her body was buried. Somebody must have done that." He said.

It was quiet for a moment before Liz said, "We're aware of that. The investigation is ongoing, but there's nothing more I can tell you at this time. I'm sorry."

"Uh, that's okay." Jeremy mumbled.

About thirty seconds later, Damon grasped onto her arm and whispered into her ear, "You little eavesdropper."

Amelia giggled, "How else am I suppose to find out what's going on in the town?"

Damon groaned. "I need a drink." He pulled her with him to the bar and she sat down next to him. She was unsurprised when he ordered a Bourbon. A few seconds later, Elena appeared.

"Have you noticed what your brother's been up to?" Elena questioned.

"Nope, been too preoccupied with yours." Damon replied wittily. Elena looked at him, confused.

"Jeremy's been asking questions about Vicki Donovan's death." Amelia told her.

Elena shook her head, "He knows that her death was ruled an overdose."

"Really? 'Oh, but Sheriff, someone buried her, who would do that?'" He imitated Jeremy. Damon raised his hand. "I know, I know, me!" Amelia elbowed him and he sighed. "I mean I could compel him, but he's wearing vervain."

"No, I don't want you to compel him." Elena refused.

"If he keeps asking questions…" Damon trailed off.

"Damon, no, I'm serious. I'm not gonna do that to him again. I'll handle it." Elena said.

"You know, most things in life can be fixed without compulsion, Damon." Amelia said as Elena walked away.

She watched as Damon pulled a red rose from a nearby vase and handed it to her. "Okay, don't say I didn't warn you."

Amelia sat at a quiet table with Liz, laughing at the embarrassing stories that she told her of the partygoers. It seemed that Liz knew something about everyone.

About ten minutes later, Damon appeared in front of her and held out his hand, "May I have this dance, Miss Whitmore?"

Amelia glanced at Liz and silently accepted his hand. Even though she didn't think she was a very good dance, she enjoyed dancing with Damon. He always seemed to know what he was doing on the dance floor, and, although she would never tell him, she enjoyed the look of joy he had on his face when he danced.

As they danced to the slow, jazz song, she quickly picked up on the moves. She liked the feel of Damon's hand on her back, her hand in his…

_Stop it!_ Amelia thought, and she backed away from him. Damon frowned, "What's wrong?" He asked her glancing around.

Amelia stuttered, "N-nothing. I just, um, need to use the restroom." She lied before walking away from him quickly, needing to get a hold of herself. Needing to rid herself of her insane thoughts.

After several minutes of searching, Amelia finally found the bathroom. She washed her hands and splashed water on her face, trying to make herself feel better. She clutched onto the sink as she felt a little dizzy and a vision washed over her.

Stefan and Elena were dancing, but Elena bumped into another partygoer. Amelia watched in confusion as the man was a royal jackass to her. She couldn't believe it when Stefan compelled the man to apologize to her, and then compelled him again to apologize like he really meant it. Stefan shoved the man away, and no one at the party seemed to notice. Amelia noticed that Elena seemed shocked as well. This was so unlike Stefan.

Amelia found herself back in the restroom. She took a deep breath and left the room, wanting to find Damon to let him know. Sudden inspiration struck her and she closed her eyes, searching with her mind for him. She searched for his familiar snarky voice…his tall figure. She was about to give up, annoyed with herself for being stupid, when she found him at the bar.

Amelia snorted to herself, "That would've been my first guess anyway…"

She strode off to meet him and she was almost surprised that he was indeed there, and that she hadn't made up the whole thing in her mind. She flopped down rather unladylike and bragged. "I'm a badass." She took his drink from his hands and took a small sip from it. She didn't really enjoy Bourbon much, and she had promised herself that she wouldn't become heavily intoxicated anymore. She needed to always be in control of her powers.

Damon looked at her, surprised by her arrogance. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I just had a vision of Stefan and Elena that I wanted to tell you about, and I didn't feel like searching the whole mansion for you so I searched for you with… my mind, I guess, and now here we are." She said, smiling smugly, pouting when he took his drink from her hands.

"What did you see?" He asked in concern.

Amelia explained what she had seen and the pair sat quietly for a moment, contemplating what to do.

"I'm really worried about him." Amelia admitted, picking at her red nail polish. She glanced over to see the crowd heading towards the main room of the party, and she hesitated, looking at Damon, before going with them.

Amelia felt so nervous being surrounded by so many people. She had done a good job of keeping her mental barriers up all night, but she could feel them starting to loosen.

"Thank you! Thank you all for joining us tonight. In just a few moments, we will officially begin the countdown to our upcoming Founder's Day celebration, and it's a very special one this year - the 150th birthday of our town!" Mayor Lockwood announced as the partygoers clapped. Two men dressed in confederate soldier's clothing brought out a large bell to center stage. "And, I would like to welcome back one of our town's favorite sons to do the honors of ringing our official charter bell. John Gilbert, would you please join me up here?"

Amelia joined with the applause and Damon grabbed her hands, giving her a look. Amelia frowned at him, confused.

"One hundred and fifty years of community, prosperity, family. We take care of each other, look after each other, _protect_ each other. It's good to be home." Jonathan Gilbert said. Amelia noticed that Jonathan was staring right at Damon as he said that.

The audience burst into applause again, and Amelia was surprised when she was suddenly being dragged behind Damon as they met up with Alaric Saltzman. "Damon!" Amelia protested.

"Look at his right hand." Damon said to them.

"Who's?" Alaric asked.

"The town's favorite son. Look at his ring." Damon emphasized.

Amelia finally understood. "His ring… It looks like yours." She said to Alaric.

"Yeah, and that would be a big coincidence if he didn't just come back from the dead _five minutes ago. _Where the hell did you get that ring?" Damon seethed.

"Isobel, my wife." Alaric explained.

Damon half chuckled, half groaned. "Who gave birth to Elena, under the medical care of the esteemed Dr. Grayson Gilbert - _John's brother_."

Amelia frowned. "You think John knew Isobel?"

"I think John knows a lot of things." Damon replied mysteriously, taking a gulp of his Bourbon.

Amelia followed Damon and Alaric as they scoped out John who was leaving the party.

"Goin' somewhere? Hm?" Damon asked John, walking to his left.

"Never like to be the last one to leave a party. It's too desperate. You here to kill me again?" John asked as Alaric flanked his other side. "Are you gonna let Mr. Saltzman do your dirty work?"

"Okay, you obviously know who I am." Alaric confronted John.

"I do. Alaric Saltzman, the high school history teacher with a secret." John replied. "And Amelia Whitmore," He said, turning to face her. "Sheriff Forbes' foster witch."

"Sure know a lot for someone who just got to town." Damon interjected, not liking John's attention on her.

"More than you can imagine, Damon. My knowledge of this town goes beyond anything that you or the council knows. So if you were planning on some clever high-speed, snatch ring-vamp kill move, know that if I die, everything I know goes to the council, including the fascinating little tale of the original Salvatore Brothers… and their present-day return to Mystic Falls." John turned to Amelia. "And don't think for a second that your foster-mom won't burn you at the stake just like the rest of them."

Amelia stood frozen in shock.

"How'd you get that ring?" Alaric interjected.

"I inherited one, my brother Gray, the other. This was his. And I wouldn't have given mine to Isobel had I known she'd hand it over to another guy." John said, irritated.

"So you did know her." Damon said, smugly.

"Who do you think sent her your way when she wanted to become a vampire?"

"You sent her?" Damon asked, disbelieving.

"Guilty. Why, did you think someone else sent her? Maybe Katherine Pierce?" John asked smugly.

"How do you know about Katherine?" Damon asked stiffly.

"How do I know anything, Damon?" John asked mysteriously.

"What do you want?"Amelia said, moving in front of him. John took a step closer to her, as if to intimidate her.

"So many questions." John smiled darkly at her before turning to Alaric. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Ric. I've heard so much about you." He paused before turning back to Amelia. Amelia furrowed her brow as he winked at her. "See you around, Amelia."

The trio stared after Jonathan Gilbert's retreating figure. "What the _hell_ just happened?" Amelia asked, dumbfounded.


	21. Chapter 20: Miss Mystic Falls

**A/N: This is probably my favorite chapter - lots of stuff going on! Enjoy! :) -TeamComrade11**

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 20: Miss Mystic Falls**

**February 7, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore had been having vivid dreams, more so than ever since Sheila had died. She dreamt of a beautiful woman with blonde hair who called herself her mother. She dreamt of howling wolves during the full moon. She frequently dreamt of the same scenario: She was a little girl, screaming and crying as a strange woman took her from her mother. Her mother had seemed devastated, but she had never done anything to stop it. There had been a little boy there, too. He was crying, and begging his mother to help her.

She dreamt of Sheila Bennett quite frequently as well. Sheila never spoke to her, she always observed quietly with a hidden smile.

Every once in a while, she had the same recurring nightmare that she had had since she was eight years old. It was always Christmas Eve, and there was always a shadow of a man that she feared. The dream always ended with her screaming her head off as she recognized the body parts of her father spread out across the living room floor.

Liz had been extremely worried when she woke up to the sound of her screaming. It had been years since she had done that. Liz reminded her what the therapists had told her after the tragic event: Your father was attacked by an animal. When Amelia had told them about the man, none of them believed her. They explained to her that she was traumatized, and she was confusing the details.

One night, she had slept fitfully, mumbling under her breath until she awoke with a jerk. She sat in the dark room in silence for a moment before she realized why she had woken up - she sensed a presence in the room.

"I was about to wake you up." A familiar voice slurred. Amelia blinked in surprise as she turned her light on to see Damon Salvatore sitting at the foot of her bed with half a bottle of booze in his hand.

"Damon!" Amelia hissed quietly, looking at the time. "What're you doing here? It's two in the morning and I have school tomorrow!"

Damon ignored her question, glancing around her room. "You don't have very much stuff do you?" He asked.

Amelia felt embarrassed as she glanced around her room. She still had about half a closet worth of space. Her bedroom mostly consisted of her bed, her desk, her narrow bookshelf, and her nightstand.

"I guess I'm not one for holding onto useless things…" She lied, running her fingers through her wild hair. When she had been in foster care, moving from home to home every other month, she had learned not to grow attached to things. And she refused to ask Liz for anything unless it was essential. Now that she had a job, she hadn't had to ask Liz for anything in quite some time. "Damon, you're drunk… you should probably go home."

"Aren't you gonna take my car keys?" Damon smirked.

Amelia shook her head, "I know you didn't drive here."

The black pile of fur that was sleeping on her pillow suddenly seemed to realize that someone was disturbing his beauty rest and he hissed at the vampire invading his territory.

"Merlin, stop!" Amelia tried to scratch her cat's head, but he leapt down and hid under her bed.

Damon sighed, "That seems like everyones reaction to me lately."

She frowned at him. "Damon, you're moping. What's wrong?" She asked, moving to sit cross legged. She was a bit embarrassed by her pale legs that were clearly visible because of the short pink shorts she had on.

"Almost a century and a half I waited for her… loved her… and she didn't even care…" He gulped and took a swig of his drink. "Opening the tomb has been my purpose for so long… I don't even know why I'm still in Mystic Falls anymore." He admitted staring at his feet.

Amelia felt stupid for being jealous, but she was. But she also hated the look of sadness on his face, the way his voice quivered.

She sighed and crawled over until she was sitting right next to him. She wrapped an arm around him, trying to comfort him. With her other arm, she took his bottle and set it on her nightstand. She wasn't very skilled with projecting emotions, but she tried to radiate calming waves of positivity to him the best she could.

Damon looked down at her. "Hmm." He sighed, closing his eyes contently. "That's so strange." He wrapped an arm around her, looking at her tentatively.

Amelia glanced away from him, afraid her eyes would betray her, her breathing faster than she would have liked.

She glanced back at him and watched hesitantly as his face came closer… and closer… and closer…

She felt so panicked and she blurted out the only thing she could think of. "Why're you looking at me like that?" She stood up and pretended to straighten up her desk. She liked Damon so much, even though she knew she shouldn't. She wouldn't allow herself to be with him when he was still so obsessed with Katherine. She had that much pride, at least.

She sighed, turning back towards him. She was surprised to see that he had disappeared, along with his bottle of booze. The only trace of him was her open window and the curtains that waved in the breeze.

That next day, February 7th, Amelia got out of school early for her dentist appointment. She had been pushing it off and pushing it off, but Liz finally scheduled it for her. She stared at her x-ray in surprise. She had four extra teeth under her gums that looked strange. One of them even looked like it would try to come in under her molar.

They dentist explained to her that she needed to have her wisdom teeth out. A surgery that would require being put under anesthesia, even.

When she got home that afternoon, she explained to Liz what the dentist had said, and Liz had made her call and schedule the surgery right then and there. When Liz had offered to drive her home and watch over her after the surgery, she panicked and quickly lied. "Oh, uh, that's okay. I actually already promised Elena."

Amelia regretted having to lie to Liz, but she couldn't be around her when she wasn't in control of herself; that is, in control of her chatterbox, _and_ her powers.

Amelia groaned in frustration as she realized who she'd have to ask. It would have to be someone supernatural - someone who could control her if her powers went wonky. Amelia recalled how Bonnie wouldn't speak to her, and how Stefan wasn't even in control of _himself_. She almost wanted to cancel the surgery and leave her teeth to fate when she realized she'd have to ask Damon - and have to be in such a vulnerable state in front of him.

She went up to her room, shut the door, and pulled out her phone. She sighed as she found Damon's name in her contact list (and she still didn't know how his number got in her phone, but she assumed that he must have put it in there).

"Yeeeees?" Damon drawled cockily as he opened his phone.

"Um, hi, Damon, it's Amelia…" She started, wanting to groan at how awkward she sounded.

"Of that I am aware, little witch. You see, not that long ago they invented this wonderful thing called caller ID…" He said sarcastically.

"I need to ask you a favor." She blurted out.

Damon seemed to ponder her request, almost like he loved to make her feel uncomfortable. "Hold on one second."

Amelia frowned as she heard a click and the dial tone. Had Damon just hung up on her? She thought about calling him back, but she didn't want to be weird.

"Okay. But only if you accompany me to the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant." Damon's voice was suddenly right behind her. He was sitting on her window with a smug smirk on his face. Amelia noticed that he was wearing his usual dark jeans and leather jacket. His hair looked damp, as if he had just gotten out of the shower.

Amelia frowned, wondering why he couldn't have just said that on the phone. "If you're really that desperate, why don't you just compel someone?"

Damon frowned, and then he disappeared from the window in a blur. She was surprised to see him standing right in front of her, a look of concern on his face. Amelia flinched as he raised his hand to her face, only causing his frown to deepen. "Why would I want to compel someone when I can have someone as beautiful as you on my arm?"

Amelia hated that she could feel the blood rushing to her face - how embarrassing. She didn't believe Damon, anyhow, and she turned away from him, feeling uncomfortable. She considered that it really wouldn't be bad to go with Damon. After all, she had a fun time at the Founder's Party with him. Plus, there was no way she was getting out of going to the pageant because Caroline would never forgive her.

"Besides," He said, cockily, "I don't need to compel someone to get a date. My wit and charm do all the work for me." He said, winking at her.

"I don't know, Damon." She muttered, crossing her arms and observing her wall in fine detail. "Liz didn't seem too thrilled to see us together at the Founder's Party, and I don't want to push her." Amelia explained to him how Liz had called a meeting with her social worker, and how they had considered rehoming her because of how she had been acting.

"What? They can do that?" Damon hissed angrily.

Amelia nodded, not liking that he was getting angry.

"You don't have to be worried about that, okay, Amelia? If it ever came to that, I wouldn't let it happen." Damon promised.

Amelia nodded, feeling relieved to have him on her side, but she was also afraid to trust in him. Afraid to hope. "Thank you." She said quietly. She cleared her throat. "But, listen, Damon, I have to have surgery to have my wisdom teeth removed and I need someone to drive me home after the procedure and watch me for the rest of the day. I hate to ask you, but I need someone who can protect me and protect themselves if I'm so out of it I can't control my powers. Normally, I would ask Bonnie, but seeing how she's not speaking to me, that's not really an option. And well, I don't exactly trust Stefan to keep me safe right now…" She trailed off, rambling.

Damon groaned, "Wow, you are such an inconvenience, Amelia." He joked.

Amelia laughed and hit him playfully. "Shut up."

Damon became slightly more serious. "So, what're you wearing to the pageant? And, please, nothing yellow." He groaned.

Amelia grimaced, looking through her closet. Damon walked over and was standing very close to her, helping her look. "So… John stopped by the house this morning." Damon drawled.

Amelia frowned. "Why?"

"I don't know. Some sort of scheme, I guess. He convinced Liz that we'd be better off working as a team." He said in a falsely optimistic voice. "But, I found out that he really doesn't know much about Katherine."

"How'd you find that out?" Amelia muttered.

"He tried to threaten me - he wants some sort of invention."

Damon proceeded to explain how Anna had come to apologize, and apparently, the tomb vampires had left town. He told her how Stefan had robbed the local blood blank, and how he had lied about it to him.

Amelia pulled out a pretty green dress, and told him how all Caroline could talk about was the upcoming Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and how worried she was the she wasn't going to win. She told him about Bonnie coming back to Mystic Falls, but how Bonnie had been ignoring her.

"It's like… she blames me for Sheila's death… and the worst part, is that I understand. I understand, because it kind of is. If I had helped open the tomb, she wouldn't have overexerted herself, and she wouldn't have died." Amelia said shakily, feeling embarrassed at how he was looking at her.

"_Amelia_, Sheila dying was not your fault - do you understand me? If anything, it was my fault." He admitted, and then he disappeared. Amelia heard her bedroom door open and then close. She looked around, confused for a moment, before he zoomed back in her room, shutting the door again.

He handed her Caroline's sophisticated gray dress. It was elegant, but not boring.

Amelia smiled at him in thanks. He said nothing, but Amelia thought he had been looking at her strangely. Before she could respond, he had suddenly disappeared.

Amelia was listening to Caroline rant about the pageant as she gathered everything she needed to take with her to get ready. Amelia was already dressed, and ready to go.

"I mean, she totally has the sympathy vote!" She groaned collapsing on the bed next to her.

Amelia frowned, not wanting to get in the middle of Caroline and Elena. She held Caroline's hand. "Look, Care, the only person that you can control is yourself. You're beyond qualified for the title, and beyond beautiful. I know you want this so bad, and I want it for you too. But if you don't win, is it really worth ruining your friendship with Elena over it?"

Caroline sighed and Amelia hugged her as she went to go wait on the porch for Damon to pick her up. "I'll meet you there to help you get ready."

As Amelia was walking out the door, she heard Caroline call, "Thanks, Lia."

Amelia smiled to herself, but said nothing. She found herself sitting on the porch, fiddling with the end of Caroline's dress as she waited for Damon. It was a little chilly, but nothing she couldn't handle. The snow was long gone by now.

Damon pulled up in his blue muscle car, looking sharp as always. Amelia stood up and nervously smoothed out her dress. She walked toward him hesitantly as he stepped out of the car, careful not to trip in her heels.

Amelia loved the way Damon's face lit up as he smiled coyly at her. He took her hand and kissed it. "Looking lovely as always, Ms. Whitmore." He said chivalrously.

Amelia giggled. "And you certainly look just dashing yourself, Mr. Salvatore." She said in her best southern accent. He was wearing a handsome tuxedo with a black tie - not a wrinkle in sight. Damon didn't look a tad bit uncomfortable in such formal wear - he looked like he was used to it, like he belonged in it even.

Amelia watched as he fished in his pocket before pulling out a small jewelry box. She glanced up at him surprised. He opened the box and Amelia saw a pair of beautiful antique looking diamond earrings that matched the embroidery on her dress perfectly.

"They were my mother's." Damon explained, hesitantly. "They've just been sitting around in the house for over a century - I figured they'd be much more useful to you." Amelia froze as he carefully placed them in her ears before she could protest.

"I-I- thank you, Damon, but it's too much, really. I can't accept these."

"Please? I want you to have them. Besides they match your dress perfectly." He explained practically, before pausing. "And… and you remind me of my mother, sometimes. She would approve of you wearing them."

"Thank you." She said quietly, accepting his help into his car. Amelia knew she could do it herself, but she wasn't very coordinated in heels and she didn't want to make a fool out of herself.

Amelia was quiet for most of the ride to the Founder's Hall. She occasionally commented on one of Damon's lame jokes, and she could tell that he was frustrated at her quietness.

Amelia was almost shocked at how decorated the hall was. Damon immediately sought out the champagne, and she declined his offer of a drink. She knew just about everyone here, and she also knew that they would trip over themselves to let Sheriff Forbes know the fastest. As it was, she saw people staring at her and Damon in surprise.

"In the running for Miss Mystic Falls?" Damon asked. Amelia noticed Anna walking towards them.

"Sometimes you have to wear uncomfortable heels to blend in." Anna explained.

"Ain't that the truth." Amelia muttered wearily, not wanting to be around the vampire that had her kidnapped.

"Hmm." Damon muttered.

"I remember this event from 1864. I was suppose to enter, before everything happened." Anna said, sounding a little sad in Amelia's opinion.

"Ahh, nostalgia's a bitch." Damon said, no sympathy in his voice.

"If you're just going to mock me, can you and your witch move along, please?" Anna said, looking pointedly at Amelia.

"You know I can set fires with my mind, right?" Amelia asked, irritated. "Fire kills vampires, doesn't it?" She asked innocently.

Damon chimed in before she could say anything further. "John Gilbert thinks your mom stole an artifact from Jonathan Sr. Sr. back in 1864." It seemed that Damon had an agenda after all.

"What are you, his errand boy?" Anna asked snidely.

"I don't know what it is, but I don't want him to have it."

"I could ask her, but, you know, you've made it pretty clear that you don't trust us, so why should I even bother?" Anna asked.

"Uh, I think you've given us good reason not to trust you." Amelia glared at her, recalling the feel of that vampires fangs in her neck.

"Because you want to stay in Mystic Falls, and John Gilbert's in town, making that impossible. Find out where it is. He leaves, you can buy a welcome mat." Damon said before they walked off together.

When they were a distance away, Amelia paused. "I'm going to go help Caroline get ready. Don't kill anyone." She said sarcastically, walking in the direction of the hall.

"No promises!" He said, in what Amelia hoped was a sarcastic-manner.

Amelia was helping Caroline curl her hair as she overheard Elena and Jenna's conversation.

"Thanks for helping me." Elena said.

"Don't thank me until you're sure your hair isn't going to burn off." Jenna joked.

Amelia was pretty sure that would make Caroline very happy. "You know, I remember when my mom and I were first applying for this. She was excited." Elena said, nostalgically.

"So were you, if I recall." Jenna stated.

"I was. She just made it sound like so much fun. Lots has changed since then."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's a little late for cold feet." Jenna said.

"I don't have cold feet. I just… I think I'd be enjoying it a lot more if she was here." Elena admitted.

"I'll tell you one thing, your hair would have a better chance if she was."

Elena laughed before leaving, saying, "Okay, I should go put my dress on. Be careful with that thing, don't hurt anybody." She said, pointing to the curling iron.

Amelia noticed Caroline staring sadly in the mirror. "You know, I feel like I know this dance as well as you do with how much you've been making me practice with you." Amelia joked, trying to cheer her up.

Caroline gave her a small smile. Amelia noticed as Amber Bradley, one of the contestants, stormed down the stairs, almost in tears. She frowned, and hoped that she'd be back soon.

Amelia was trying to give Caroline a pep talk as Carol Lockwood fretted over the contestants and got them in lineup.

"Ms. Tina Fell! Escorted by Bartholomew Whitmore." The mayor announced as the pretty blonde descended the stairs in her peach gown.

"Has anyone seen Amber?" Carol Lockwood hissed, pacing around the room.

"Do you see Stefan down there?" Elena whispered worriedly to Caroline and Amelia. Before Amelia had the chance to look, Carol Lockwood interrupted. "This is an outrage! We need another female dancer to complete the dance!"

Caroline piped up. "Oh! Amelia knows the dance, Mrs. Lockwood. I've been making her practice with me."

Amelia froze as Caroline smiled at her coyly, as if she were doing her a favor.

"No, no, really-" Amelia began.

Carol turned to her and gave her a once over. "Yes, yes, you'll do, I suppose. Hurry girls, get in lineup."

Amelia could feel her heart pounding as she was corralled into the group. _How had this happened?! _She didn't want to dance in front of the whole town.

Caroline glanced down the stairs and spoke to Elena. "Nope, just my boring fill-in escort."

Elena frowned. "What happened to Matt?"

Caroline sighed, "They wouldn't let him out of work. Hey, what happened to Stefan?"

"I don't know. He just disappeared somewhere. I don't know. What am I doing? I never should have gone through with this."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asked.

"I need to find Stefan. This isn't me. I'm not this person anymore." Elena shook her head and Amelia watched worriedly as Elena started to walk away.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no way, no. You had your chance to drop out. And believe me, I was all for it. Because there is no way that I can beat you. Elena, you're doing this because it was important to your mom."

Amelia smiled at Caroline in surprise. That was nice of her to say.

"Ms. Caroline Forbes! And her escort, Jeffrey Lockwood Hamilton." The mayor announced.

Caroline smiled at them before she descended down the staircase, followed by a round of applause.

Amelia whispered, hoping that Damon would hear her. "Damon, can you hear me? Is Stefan down there?"

"Elena, you're next, come on." Carol Lockwood waved Elena over.

"Ms. Elena Gilbert! Escorted by Mr. Stefan Salvatore."

Amelia peeked out in curiosity, hoping to see Stefan waiting for Elena at the endow the staircase. She noticed Damon whispering to Amber Bradley's escort, before the man nodded and strode up to take Elena's arm. Elena looked confused, but grateful that she had someone to dance with.

Amelia frowned, realizing that Damon must have compelled the man. She realized that now, _she_ would have no escort. She almost tucked tail and ran, but Carol Lockwood gave her a severe look. "Ms. Amber Bradley! Escorted by… Er, my apologies, folks. It seems there's been a bit of a change! Ms. Amelia Whitmore! Escorted by Mr. Damon Salvatore."

Amelia hesitantly made her way down the stair case, feeling more than self-conscious. She watched as the whole town whispered and looked at her in surprise, before scattered applause finally began. Amelia felt her heart pounding as Damon took her arm and escorted her out to the dance floor. "What happened to Stefan?!" She breathed.

"I don't know." Damon smiled at her, gritting his teeth.

Amelia noticed that Elena looked extremely uncomfortable next to her, but they shared smiles anyway.

Amelia lined up with the other contestants, very nervous that she would mess up the dance. After all, she had always danced as the escort with Caroline. The intro to the song started and she looked at Damon, anxiety riddling through her as he breathed. "Relax, I've got you."

Amelia took a deep breath and stepped forward with the other contestants as they bowed to her. "What're we gonna do?" She whispered.

"Right now we just have to get through this." Damon said, before straightening back out and stepping away from her. They both raised their right hand and circled each other, just barely not touching, before finding themselves back to where they had been standing. They did the same thing with their left hand, and then with both hands. Amelia thought that this was the easiest part of the dance.

Damon smiled at her, and Amelia felt herself relax._ "All of my agony fades away, when you hold me in your embrace." _They stepped together at _embrace _and Amelia felt relieved that she hadn't stepped on him.

_"Don't tear me down, for all I need. Make my heart a better place. Give me something I can believe. Don't tear me down. You've opened the door now, don't let it close."_ Amelia listened to the lyrics as she spun around with Damon.

Amelia felt so close to Damon both physically and mentally in that moment. She was so grateful that he hadn't left her stranded.

And the way that he was looking into her eyes… It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. She never wanted the song to end.

Finally, they stepped away from each other and the song ended. Amelia felt her chest rising and falling rapidly. She still felt adrenaline pumping through her, but she also felt relief.

A few minutes later, Amelia found herself on stage with the other girls.

"Where's Amber?" Caroline whispered.

"I don't know." Elena replied.

"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community. But especially, I'd like to thank Amelia Whitmore for stepping in when her town needed it!" The hall erupted in applause as Mayor Lockwood pulled her forward and handed her a bouquet of roses. Amelia smiled and stepped back in place, accepting the bouquet.

"So, without further adieu, it is my honor to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls… Ms. Caroline Forbes!" He pointed to Caroline and the hall erupted into much louder applause. Amelia was so happy for Caroline. She pulled her into a hug and then watched as Elena did the same. "Congratulations!" The mayor said.

"Congratulations!" Elena echoed.

"I actually won." Caroline said in disbelief before stepping to center stage as the mayor placed the "Miss Mystic Falls" sash on her.

Amelia's world suddenly went dark and she saw an image of Stefan Salvatore feeding on Amber Bradley. Then, he compelled her and she took off running through the woods.

"Amelia!" Amelia opened her eyes to see Damon Salvatore standing in front of her, a worried look on his face. "We've got to go." He pulled her along with him towards the exit when Elena found them.

"What is it, did you find him?" Elena asked worriedly about Stefan.

"There were signs of struggle in the upstairs bathroom. There was blood. And that Amber girl is missing."

"Oh my God, he wouldn't hurt her. He won't." Elena tried to convince herself.

Amelia noticed Bonnie listening in on their conversation. "Let's just find him, ok?" Damon said.

"I had a vision of them… He attacked her. Come on, we have to go!" Amelia chimed in, kicking off her heels so she could move more easily.

They searched for them outside, and Amelia led them towards the woods. Damon must've heard something they couldn't, because he was suddenly ahead of them, running. A moment or two later, Amelia heard a woman screaming.

They came across Stefan Salvatore who was feeding on Amber Bradley as she screamed.

"Stefan!" Elena screamed.

"Come on. Get control of it. Come on. It's okay, come on." Damon coaxed. "Breathe through it man."

Stefan was staring at them like a wild dog, about to attack, when he threw Damon away from him and into a tree.

Amelia heard Elena gasp and Damon groan as Stefan advanced on Damon. "Stefan, stop it!" Elena cried, tears streaming down her face.

Amelia held her hands out and focused on stopping Stefan. Stefan fell to the ground, clutching his head, groaning, as Amelia burst every blood vessel in his brain, over and over again…

She stopped when someone grabbed her wrist, and she turned to see Bonnie Bennett standing there.

"It's ok." Damon coaxed Stefan, as Stefan looked around, hurt. "Stefan."

Stefan had blood streaming down his face as he looked around, shocked and ashamed of what he had done. Amelia thought he might be crying, but she wasn't sure.

She blinked, and then he was gone.

Amelia rushed over to Amber who was laying on the ground unconscious. She found a steady pulse, and breathed a sigh in relief. She held her hands over her wound, and muttered a healing spell that she had only ever read about, but had never been able to practice.

She muttered the spell over and over again, concentrating hard. When she finally stopped, she wiped blood away from her face that had begun dripping from her nose, and she observed that Amber's neck had stopped bleeding, and it looked like it had healed slightly. Amelia frowned, wishing that she could have done more.

Amelia noticed Bonnie comforting Elena and saw the Damon was actually sitting right next to her, observing her.

Damon said nothing to her, but glanced back down to Amber, shaking her awake. Amber awoke, dazed and confused, and Amelia watched sadly as Damon compelled the poor girl.

About ten minutes later, Liz and a few deputies were on the scene, along with an ambulance.

"It's a good thing the girls got here when they did. She lost a lot of blood." Damon lied to Liz.

"You didn't see anything?" Liz asked them, concerned.

It was quiet for a moment as Elena looked to Bonnie, hoping that she wouldn't contradict them.

"No, we just found her and then called Damon." Amelia interjected.

"She gonna be okay?" Bonnie asked sullenly.

"Looks like it, yeah. Why don't you girls get back to the party. Damon and I can take it from here." Liz instructed.

Amelia nodded and the trio started to walk back towards the hall when Liz called, "Amelia!"

Amelia turned and saw the Liz had walked over to her. Liz threw her arms around her, and hugged her tight. Amelia returned the hug, as she looked at Damon observing them. "I'm glad you're okay." Liz whispered. "That was really nice of you - stepping up and dancing for Carol Lockwood."

"Thanks." Amelia muttered. "She didn't really give me a choice." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

They pulled away from each other and Liz gave her a small smile. "I'll be home late tonight. We'll talk later, okay?"

Amelia nodded. "I'll probably be with Elena, she's pretty upset about everything that happened."

Liz nodded and Amelia made eye contact with Damon before heading back to the hall.

Amelia caught back up with the girls. "Bonnie, can we talk about this?" Elena pleaded.

"There's nothing to talk about." Bonnie refuted, not looking at her.

"Bonnie, please." Elena called.

"I told you I wasn't going to make you choose, but I need to make the choice for myself." Bonnie said harshly before turning to Amelia. "What're you doing, Lia? Damon Salvatore is the reason Grams died, and here you are, running around, going on dates with him! Protecting him!" Bonnie shook her head as Amelia felt tears form in her eyes. "I can't believe you." Bonnie turned her attention back to the both of them. "Please just leave me alone."

Elena stared after Bonnie sadly before glancing at Amelia. "She didn't mean it, hun, she's just upset." Elena put a comforting hand on Amelia's arm.

Amelia pulled away from her, "I-I've gotta go." She choked out, feeling like she was about to fall apart. She took deep breaths, trying to get control of her emotions as she pulled her jacket on from the coat rack. She paced at Damon's car, waiting for him so he could drive her home. She still felt like she couldn't breathe properly, but she felt like if she sat still she would burst into tears, so she kept moving.

About five minutes later, Damon and Elena walked over to the vehicle. Damon opened the door for Elena and helped her into the back seat.

Amelia jumped as Damon was suddenly standing right in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders and made sure she was looking at him before he said quietly. "I'm sorry about what Bonnie said to you. That was unfair of her."

Amelia felt her breathing speed up again and she looked away, trying to get away from him. She didn't want to cry in front of him - didn't want to seem vulnerable. She was surprised when he pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her. She stood rigidly for a few moments before tentatively putting her arms around him. They stood like that for a few moments and Amelia was finally able to pull herself back together before she turned away from him and got into the passenger seat. She felt awkward, and didn't say anything on the car ride home, but she listened as Damon and Elena concocted a plan to incapacitate Stefan and place him in the cell in the basement in order to wean him off human blood. Amelia almost piped in, saying that she could get him in there herself, but she didn't because she felt so drained.

Amelia and Damon waited downstairs silently for Elena to do her part, and sedate him with the vervain dart. Damon was listening attentively, ready to zoom up the stairs in case Stefan tried to hurt Elena.

Amelia heard Stefan yelling and a crash. She flinched and looked to Damon worriedly, but he only shook his head.

Elena must have finished, because a moment later, Damon was gone before reappearing with Stefan in his arms and Elena trailing behind him. Amelia got the door for them as he set Stefan down in the cell. She watched solemnly as he came out, locking the door behind him

"There's no guarantee this is going to work." Damon told them.

"It has to." Elena shook her head.

Damon began to walk up the stairs before looking behind him. "You coming?" He asked them.

Elena shook her head. "I'm gonna stay here." She explained before sliding down against the wall and sitting.

Amelia quietly sat across from her and held her hand in reassurance. She was surprised when Damon sat down next to her, their knees touching.

The trio sat like that for most of the night in silent support of each other.


	22. Chapter 21: Blood Brothers

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 21: Blood Brothers**

**February 15, 2010**

That night, Amelia had a dream of the Salvatore brothers from 1864. The whole town of Mystic Falls was in a commotion as they tried to round up the vampires.

"We have to get to the church. They're waiting." One of the men standing around the carriage of incapacitated vampires exclaimed.

Amelia was shocked at how different Damon looked. His hair was much longer, and curly. He looked more innocent. There was no harsh mask on his face, hiding away his true self.

She watched as Stefan told Damon, "Circle around that way. I'll distract them. Go!"

Damon took off running as Stefan ran out to the men. "Over here! There's another one, quick! Help me!" Stefan lied, running down the road.

"Arm yourselves." One of the men advised as most of them took off running towards Stefan.

There was one guard left, and Amelia observed as Damon punched him, knocking him out, and taking his keys.

Stefan circled back around saying, "We don't have long," as Damon unlocked the carriage.

"Katherine!" Damon whispered, as the beautiful vampire fidgeted in her chains. The Salvatore brothers worked together to pull the woman that they both loved from the carriage, and unbind her chains.

"We're going to get you out of here!" Damon promised her.

They both heard the sound of men approaching as Stefan advised, "Damon, hurry! Hurry!

One of the horses neighed as a gunshot echoed through the town. Damon Salvatore fell to the ground clutching his chest, and groaning in pain, as Stefan ran over to him. "No!" Amelia watched in horror as Damon grunted and tried to breathe before he released his last breath and died.

"Damon, oh." Stefan said in shock.

"I think we got one!" Stefan looked up as many men ran towards them. Stefan was crying as he picked up one of the guns, before a second gunshot ran out, and Stefan fell to the ground, grunting and wheezing.

Amelia watched in horror as the beautiful Elena-look-a-like whispered to him, "I love you, Stefan."

Amelia sat up straight, gasping as she looked around the unfamiliar bedroom in the Salvatore boarding house. She fell back to the bed and took a deep breath, and was startled when she heard Damon's voice right next to her. "Bad dream?" He asked her, a smug smile on his face.

"I-I- Damon! What're you doing in here?" She pulled the blanket higher up, covering her exposed cleavage from the small tank top she was wearing. She realized that Damon was only wearing a pair of blood red boxer shorts and she glanced away from him, refusing to blush.

"Well, it _is_ my house…" Damon trailed off, sarcastically, leaning his head on his well-defined arm. His chest looked muscular, but not excessively like a body builder's. She felt strange seeing so much of him.

Amelia glared at him, before looking at him more seriously and asking him, "Damon… when you and Stefan became vampires, did someone shoot you?"

Damon looked at her in surprise and crinkled his eyebrows. "How did you know?"

"Oh, uh, nothing, I just, well, I had a dream, or, um, a vision, I guess." She stuttered, playing with talisman.

"Hmm." Damon said, and then he disappeared, leaving her to get ready for her day.

After she had showered, gotten dressed, and put on light make up, she found her way downstairs and joined Elena and Damon who were checking in on Stefan.

"It's so hard to see him locked up like this." Elena sighed, clutching at the bars.

"You're the one who locked him up." Damon reminded her, like a jerk.

"You helped." Elena glared at him.

"I couldn't have him running around chewing on people while the town was looking for vampires, now, could I?" Damon explained.

"It had nothing to do with you actually caring about him." Amelia stated, not believing him.

"Your thing, not mine." Damon said, glancing away from them before walking upstairs.

The girls looked at each other and sighed as they followed him up the stairs. Amelia looked him up and down. He was wearing jeans and a black sweater that looked really good on him in her opinion, while he fidgeted with the device that Pearl had given him.

"Did you ever figure out what that thing was?" Amelia asked him, taking it from his hands and rolling it between her fingers.

"Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work." Damon replied, taking it back from her.

Amelia could sense the trace of magic that resided in it, but she wasn't surprised by it. Sheila had told her that Emily Bennett had spelled all of John Gilbert's inventions into working…

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" Elena asked, packing her school bag.

"Nope. She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but it was a pocket watch. Jonathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist…" Damon trailed off before saying. "Have you spoken to your uncle lately?"

"I've been avoiding him, actually. That and I've been here most nights." Elena sighed.

"So, you'll be here again tonight?" Damon asked casually.

"Is that a problem?" Elena asked.

Damon turned to look at them. "Yes, you're a complete nuisance." He joked.

Elena chuckled as the girls walked out the door, headed to school. "I'll see you later."

Elena and Amelia rode in near silence to school. Elena was fretting about Stefan, and Amelia was thinking about how she had spent the last few days at the Salvatore home, watching over Stefan, and comforting Elena.

The day seemed to pass by very quickly, and Amelia was happily surprised that she only had one homework assignment. She sat in Damon's living room and he was helping her with the history assignment when he got a phone call. "Hello?" Damon asked from the couch.

"Hey, it's Alaric Saltzman." Alaric's voice chimed from the phone.

"Before I hang up, how did you get this number?" Damon asked.

Amelia grabbed Damon's phone and put it on speaker phone. Damon gave her an annoyed look. "Ah, it's a mystery." Alaric said.

"Don't mind him, he's just being a jerk." Amelia said.

"Amelia? What're you doing with Damon? …Ah, never mind. Listen, I've, uh, been doing some digging on Elena's uncle. You interested?" Alaric asked.

"What kind of digging?" Damon asked reluctantly.

"I've got an old friend from Duke who studied criminology when we were there together." Alaric explained. "Let's just say he's become a very proficient digger."

"Did he… find anything?" Amelia asked.

"Well, I had him run a track on John's cell records. He was getting a call from a number - the same number that Elena dialed to get Isobel, and then the number was disconnected." Alaric began.

"Isobel knows John. Whatever, we knew that." Damon said, not interested.

"Right, well, after that, he started getting calls from a new number, and I had my friend run a geotrack. Got the address. It's-It's an apartment in Grove Hill." Alaric finished.

"Isobel's in Grove Hill?" Amelia exclaimed. She couldn't believe she was so close.

"I don't know. I thought we could take a look and see what we find." Alaric said.

"Perfect. Give me the address." Damon demanded.

"Oh, so you can go without me? No, I don't think so." Alaric said smartly.

"I'm not going with you, you tried to kill me." Damon said, irritated.

"Yeah, well you did kill me!" Alaric said, also irritated.

Damon's phone beeped, and he frowned before saying, "Hold on." He transferred the line to the incoming call and said, "What?"

"I'm just grabbing some clothes and then I'll be right over." Elena's voice came through the phone. "How's Stefan?"

"Extra broody. Hold on." Damon clicked the phone back to Alaric. "You drive. Pick me up in an hour." Damon said to Alaric.

"Hey, what about-" Amelia frowned.

"Done." Alaric agreed and Damon hung up on him, transferring the line back to Elena.

"He won't eat anything." Damon sighed.

"He has to eat. What's his favorite… kind of, um…" Elena trailed off.

"His favorite kind of what?" Damon teased.

"Type of… animal blood that he prefers?" Elena asked uncomfortably.

"Ew, gross!" Damon joked.

"You're joking doesn't help." Amelia chimed in.

"Helps me." Damon smirked at her before speaking to Elena. "Now, hurry up. I can't baby-sit all night. I have things to do." Damon said rudely.

"I would say 'drop dead,' but…" Elena said.

"Ha ha." Damon said sarcastically as Amelia giggled. "Stefan likes… puppy blood. Little Golden Retriever puppies with cute fluffy ears. That's his favorite."

"Damon!" Amelia exclaimed, smacking him.

Elena heard a scuffling noise and Damon protesting as she hung up.

After they had calmed down, Damon helped her finish her history homework. Elena showed up about a half an hour later and she went down to try to talk to Stefan. Amelia was just putting her history book away when Elena came back upstairs, nearly in tears explaining to them what Stefan had said to her. "You know he's not gonna starve himself." Damon told Elena.

"Why would he say that?" Elena asked.

"He feels bad about hurting that girl. It's very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It will pass." Damon explained.

"Will it?" Elena asked, worried. Damon nodded. "Because he seemed to be in a lot of pain." Elena shook her head.

"Yeah, well, that will pass, too, once he eats." Damon said.

"I don't think she meant physical pain." Amelia interjected quietly from the piano bench.

Damon gave her a look. "I know what she meant." He turned back to Elena. "Look, are you gonna be okay here if I run out? I have to go do an errand with the teacher."

"The teacher?" Elena frowned. "Alaric? Are you two friends now?"

Damon grimaced. "I don't have any friends, Elena." Amelia felt hurt and she glared at him. "Okay, maybe me and the little witch are friends, but other than that…" He trailed off. "You should, um, you should stay up here. You shouldn't be down there by yourself." Damon told them as he put on his leather jacket.

"I'll be fine." Elena disagreed.

"You know, you're very trusting of him, given the circumstances." Damon chastised.

"So are you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be leaving." Elena said, smartly.

Damon was quiet before saying. "I won't be long." He said before walking out the front door. Amelia hurried to grab her jacket and she followed him outside.

Damon glanced behind him as he heard the front door close again. He frowned at her as he watched her put on her coat. "Uh, no. You're not coming." He told her as Alaric pulled up and honked the horn.

"Uh, yes, actually I am." Amelia said stubbornly, not taking no for an answer. "Sorry, but I don't trust you to protect Alaric, and I rather like him, so…" She said as she got into the back seat of Alaric's car, knowing that Damon's pride would be wounded if she made him sit there.

Amelia and Alaric discussed the history assignment as Damon flipped through the radio stations. After about a half an hour, they pulled over in a sketchy neighborhood and got out of the car. Amelia followed Alaric as he walked to one of the apartment buildings. "This is the one here. The records show this was paid three months in advance." Alaric explained.

"This is where it gets tricky. I may or may not be able to get in." Damon explained, slightly irritated as he knocked.

"Yeah, how does that work? You always have to be invited in?" Alaric asked.

"By the owner or the person of entitlement. Short-term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area. You kinda gotta play it by ear." Damon explained.

Alaric chuckled as Amelia sighed. "Can we not kill anyone tonight, please?"

"You mean, you just brought me along for my company?" Damon winked at her as he broke the door handle and let Alaric walk in first. She had started to move inside, but he grabbed her hand and gave her a look as he tentatively walked in first.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home." Alaric said, looking around the apartment.

"Yeah, I'm good." Damon said, shutting the door. "No permanent resident, apparently." He said as he walked over to the fridge, opening it to see blood bags. "Uh, guys, we have company…" He trailed off.

Amelia was alarmed when she was suddenly slammed against the wall. A vampire stood in front of her, black veins running down his face. Amelia tried to stay calm as she sent a controlled wave of power at him and he went flying into the opposite wall.

Damon was suddenly standing in between them. "I know you." Damon realized as he got a better look at the vampire.

The vampire smiled and stood up. "Damon?"

Amelia frowned. "Your name is Henry. You were in the tomb." Damon said.

"Yes, sir. What're you doing here?" The vampire asked.

Amelia watched in disgust as the vampire, Henry, emptied a blood bag into a drinking glass and the two vampires made small talk. "So, how do you know John Gilbert?" Henry asked.

"Well, I've known him for years." Damon lied, sitting casually at the kitchen table. "He's a good friend. How do you know him?" He asked casually.

"I met him right after I got out of the tomb. He's been helping me out." Henry explained.

Amelia stood uncomfortably next to Alaric as Henry brought Damon over a glass of blood. "Helping you out how?" Alaric asked.

"Adapting. It's a whole new world: cars, computers, - there's so much to learn. He helped me get this place." Henry explained, gratefully.

"So, do you live here alone, or does someone else live here?" Alaric asked casually.

"That's my friend's very… passive aggressive way of asking, uh, do you know a woman named Isobel?" Damon interjected neutrally.

"Uh, no. No, I don't know an Isobel. I know John. He's my only real friend. He really showed me the ropes - how to use a microwave, separate my whites…"

"What else do you do for him?" Alaric asked.

"I help keep an eye on things - you know, with the others." Henry explained.

"The others?" Amelia chimed in.

"You know, from the tomb? They're still pissed at the Founding Families for trying to burn them alive. I'm cool, but those tomb boys, they want revenge. And, uh, who're you, anyway? What's a witch doing hanging around Damon Salvatore?" Henry asked, looking at Amelia.

Amelia paused for a moment, before opening her mouth. Before she could get out a word, Damon interjected. "Oh, uh, this is my girlfriend. She just couldn't resist my charm." Damon winked at her.

Amelia was about to object when Alaric interrupted. "What does John want with them?"

"He's just keeping an eye on them, you know? Trying to make sure they stay out of trouble." Henry said.

"Well, that's John. Heh, he's such a do-gooder." Damon chuckled.

Henry's phone began to ring and he chuckled. "Oh, hey, that's John now."

Amelia immediately became alarmed, and Damon stood up. "Oh, hey, let me talk to him." He suggested.

"Alright, yeah." Henry chuckled handing him his phone.

They stood around the ringing phone as Henry asked. "Are you gonna answer that?"

Damon looked at Alaric. "Am I gonna… answer that?" He asked sarcastically.

"What's going on?" Henry looked around, starting to realize that something was very wrong. He suddenly growled and ran toward Amelia, black veins appearing underneath his eyes.

Amelia backed away, frightened, and tripped over the coffee table, landing hard on her bottom. Just as he was about to grab her, she saw Alaric stake him from behind and he groaned before falling over next to her.

Damon helped her up. "'Let's not kill anyone tonight.'" He mocked. "You're words, just pointing that out."

Amelia frowned at him as Alaric searched the house, still feeling nervous after the close call.

"Find anything yet?" Damon asked him.

"No, I looked everywhere. The place is clean." Alaric sighed.

"Well, I found this behind the blood in the fridge." Damon said, tossing him a bottle of alcohol as he sipped on his glass of blood.

"Oh, man, this was a real dead-end." Alaric sighed, taking a gulp of the alcohol.

Amelia sat quietly on the couch, watching them, and wondering why she didn't feel upset about them killing that vampire. "I wouldn't beat yourself up over it." She comforted him.

"What were you expecting to find, huh? Isobel with a cigar and slippers?" Damon taunted him.

Alaric chuckled. "Oh, man, I gotta stop this. I can't - I can't keep searching for her."

"Really? After only two years? That's actually… moderately healthy." Damon said sarcastically, sitting next to Amelia on the couch.

"What're you going on? One hundred and forty six?" Alaric joked.

"Well, I figure the two hundred mark is probably a good stopping point." Amelia hoped he was joking.

"I mean, no answer is enough. I keep thinking I wanna know why, when, you know - the precise moment when my wife decided life with me wasn't enough." Alaric sighed, sipping at his drink.

"She charmed me, your wife, Isobel. She talked a good game, man. She was smart. She had this excitement in her eyes. I probably should have known there was something different about her, some tie to Katherine. There had to be some reason I didn't kill her." Damon explained.

Amelia frowned at him. "Someone can be special without being connected to Katherine, Damon."

"That's enough, Damon. I don't wanna hear anymore. I just don't want to waste anymore of my life searching for answers that I really don't want. I'm through with Isobel, I… I'm done with all of this." Alaric said, getting up.

Tiredly, Damon and Amelia walked back into the Salvatore Boarding House. "Ugh, God, you're still here." Damon complained to Elena.

"Were you expecting anything else?" Elena asked, putting her journal away.

Amelia laid down on the couch and Damon lifted her legs up, before sitting down and letting them rest on his lap. "No." Damon sighed.

"So, how was the 'errand?'" Elena asked them.

"Futile." Amelia sighed, thinking about the vampire they had killed. She expected to feel more upset about it, but she didn't. She knew that he would have killed her.

"Although, I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis. Has Stefan eaten yet?" Damon asked.

"I thought you didn't care." Amelia taunted him.

"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity." He said.

"I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with. And it doesn't help that you've spent the last hundred and forty five years punishing him for getting Katherine caught." Elena accused.

"This is my fault now?" Damon asked disbelieving.

"No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just… saying you're not exactly innocent." Elena said. "You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable."

Damon looked away from her, clearly baffled before he pushed Amelia's legs off him and stood up. "Let me ask you a question. In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?" Damon asked, annoyed.

"He said there was more." Elena said, confused.

"Yeah, that's an understatement." Damon laughed, angrily before turning away.

"Damon… Damon! Tell me." Elena got up and walked over to him, grabbing his arm and turning him around.

Amelia didn't like the way Elena was touching him, and she walked over towards him as well, listening as he told the story of Stefan forcing Damon to turn into a vampire. He told them how he had decided to die, and how Stefan had accidentally killed their father, and had fed on him. He told them how it had been their father who had shot them, because he'd rather them die with some honor, than bring disgrace to their family. He told them how Stefan had brought him a woman to feed on - a gift he had called it. How Stefan had fed on the girl before Damon couldn't resist the temptation any longer.

"From the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. I suppose I should thank him. It's been a hell of a ride." Damon chuckled, taking a long drink of his Bourbon.

"Oh, my God. He said he wanted to die. That's why he won't feed. Now I understand why, but-." Elena sighed, shaking her head.

"His choice. If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it." Damon said, seemingly uncaring.

"Don't do that. Okay? Don't pretend like you don't care." Amelia chided, shaking her head at Damon as Elena walked downstairs.

"Where are you going?" Damon asked.

A moment later, Elena ran back upstairs with Stefan's ring in her hand, explaining in a panic that she had left the door open to the cell, hoping that he would see reason. Before Amelia or Damon could respond, she was gone.

"I-I… Shouldn't we go after her?" Amelia sat down next to Damon, worried.

Damon shook his head. "She'll bring him back."

They were quiet for a few minutes before she asked. "What you said earlier, about you having no friends… You don't really think that, do you?"

Damon sighed. "No. You're my friend, Amelia, even if I hate to admit it. I haven't been close to anyone in so long, it's just still so strange to me…" He trailed off not looking at her. "If it came down to it, I don't think I could ever do anything to hurt you." He admitted to her.

Amelia shook her head, and sighed. "I know what you mean. When Bonnie said those things to me at the pageant… about how Sheila must be so disappointed in me… I wanted to end it. I wanted to-to stake you, or-or, disappear from your life…" She trailed off and she looked up, watching as Damon looked at her intently. "But… I just couldn't. I can't. Because no matter how uncomfortable I am about it, you're my best friend, Damon."

Damon smirked at her. "Does this mean we get to make BFF bracelets?" He teased.

Amelia chuckled and hit him playfully. "I never got to talk to you after the pageant, but thank you for what you did. I thought I was about to look like a fool in front of the whole town." She shook her head chuckling, thinking about how intimate it had felt, dancing with him…

He took a long drink of his Bourbon and listened to her as she hummed the song that they had danced to. They eventually separated to do their own thing as they waited for Elena to come back - both too anxious to sleep.

Amelia googled the sheet music to the song that they had danced to, and she worked on perfecting it on the piano as she waited, while Damon fiddled with John Gilbert's invention that Pearl had given him.

After what felt like forever, Damon said, "Little boy lost." Amelia's fingers stumbled, and she messed up the notes before pausing, noticing Stefan Salvatore and Elena in the doorway.

Elena looked at Stefan. "I'll be upstairs, okay?"

"Okay." Stefan agreed.

"Goodnight, Damon, Amelia." Elena said, walking upstairs.

"Thank you." Stefan said.

"No, Stefan, thank you. You're back on Bambi blood, and I'm the big badass brother again. All is right in the world." Damon said arrogantly as he swirled his alcohol around in his glass.

"I mean it." Stefan said, sitting down across from him. Amelia felt uncomfortable listening to their conversation, but she felt it would be even more awkward if she left now. "Thank you. For helping her take care of me… You too, Amelia."

Amelia smiled at him awkwardly as Damon glared at his brother. "You brood too much. Everything on this planet is not your fault. My actions, what I do, it's not your fault. I own them. They belong to me. You are not allowed to feel my guilt." He emphasized.

"Do you feel guilt?" Stefan asked him seriously.

"If I wanted to, it's there." Damon looked away from him uncomfortably, his eyes resting on Amelia who was looking at him in concern. He thought about all of the terrible things he had done to her, done to her family… It was quiet for a moment before Damon spoke again. "Emily waited till after I turned to tell me she'd been successful in protecting Katherine with her spell. She didn't want me to know about the tomb. She thought it would impact my decision."

"She didn't want either one of us to turn. She said it was a curse." Stefan said.

Damon looked at Amelia. "Witches - judgy little things."

Amelia glared and sent a book flying at him that smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow!" He protested.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan asked.

"Cause I didn't want you to know. Cause I hated you, and I still do." Damon said harshly.

"I know." Stefan nodded solemnly.

"But not because you forced me to turn." Damon continued.

"Then why?" Stefan asked, confused.

Damon stood up, glaring at him. "Because she turned you. It was just supposed to be me, Stefan. Just me." Damon emphasized, walking away and leaving Amelia and Stefan alone to brood in awkward silence.


	23. Chapter 22: Isobel

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 22: Isobel**

**February 16, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore found herself helping Caroline with the Founder's Day float when Alaric pulled her into his classroom. "Come with me, we need to talk."

Amelia sat on the desk, trying to absorb everything that Alaric had told them. Elena and Stefan leaned up against the wall, doing the same thing.

"Damon, thanks for coming." Alaric said tiredly.

"Sorry I'm late. The dog ate my, uh… never mind." Damon joked, looking around the room. "What's with all the furrowed brows?"

"I saw Isobel last night." Alaric said.

"Isobel's here? In town?" Damon asked disbelieving. "Did you ask about Uncle John? Are they working together?" Damon asked.

"No." Alaric sighed.

"No, they're not working together?" Damon pursued.

"No, I didn't ask." Alaric responded.

"What about the invention?" He continued.

"Didn't ask."

"Does she know about the tomb of vampires?"

"I don't know."

"Did words completely escape you?"

"No, I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions." Alaric yelled, irritated.

"What did she want?" Damon asked, backing off.

"She wants to see me, Damon." Elena piped up.

"Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants." Amelia explained.

"You don't have to see her if you don't want to." Damon told her gently.

"I don't really have a choice." Elena told him.

"She's threatening to go on a killing spree." Stefan sighed.

"Oh… I take it that's not okay with you guys?" Damon joked.

"I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it." Elena explained.

Later that day, Alaric, Damon, and Amelia, were waiting outside of the Mystic Grill as Elena and Stefan waited for Isobel to show up.

"We should be in there." Damon said, aggravated.

"No, Isobel made it clear. We're not to step foot inside." Alaric said.

"I'm not gonna kill her in a crowded restaurant." Damon argued.

"You're not gonna kill her period." Alaric said, alarmed.

"She ruined your life, and you still want to protect her?" Damon asked him, disbelieving.

"Wow, almost reminds me of someone else I know…" Amelia trailed off as Damon glared at her.

"She's my wife." Damon gave him a look. "Was… Was my wife. I looked for the woman I married, but she wasn't there. Whoever that is is…. cold and detached."

Damon scoffed, "Yeah. She's given up her humanity."

"Yeah, see, I don't get that. Stefan has his humanity and he's a good guy. Hell, you're a dick and you kill people, but I still see something human in you. But with her, there was… there was nothing."

Damon looked at him for a moment before explaining. "You can turn it off… Like a button you can press. I mean, Stefan's different. He-he wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of 'How I Met Your Mother,' so he shuts his feeling out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel. Isobel chose the easier road. No guilt and shame… No regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn if off, wouldn't you?"

"You haven't." Alaric retorted.

"Heh, of course I have, Ric. That's why I'm so _fun_ to be around." Damon said walking away from him.

Amelia frowned and followed after him. "You're so full of crap, Damon, you know that?"

Damon frowned at her, pausing. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." She glared at him, watching him walk away from her.

Amelia returned to the school and faced Caroline's wrath for ditching her. After she had apologized profusely, she agreed to ride on the float with the other contestants even though she had argued she wasn't really a contestant. Caroline had promised her that Carol Lockwood had demanded that she ride on the float.

Amelia managed to catch up with Elena and she told her about her meeting with Isobel. How heartless she had been, and how she wanted Jonathan Gilbert's invention. When Elena had told her that Damon wouldn't give it to her, Isobel had replied, "but he'll give it to your witchy friend, Amelia."

Amelia shook her head, but tried talking to Damon about it anyway. "Look, Damon, maybe I could try to de-spell the invention or something." She had pleaded with him, but he had refused.

Amelia was hanging up a banner when she noticed that Isobel was at the parade, talking to Elena. She climbed down from the ladder, concerned for Elena, when they both glanced over at her. Elena shook her head and Amelia continued to watch them, but didn't go any closer. Amelia was shocked when the float collapsed on Matt and the crowd screamed in panic. She took a step towards them when she felt someone grab her from behind. "Be a good girl now." The unfamiliar voice whispered to her before she felt a terrible pain in the back of her head and the world went quiet.

When Amelia woke up, she groaned at the pounding in her head. She looked around at the unfamiliar, nicely decorated house and tugged at her wrists, realizing that they were bound in rope. Amelia tried to break them with her mind when she realized that she couldn't.

She heard a noise and she looked up to see a beautiful woman with dark hair observing her. "You must be Isobel." Amelia glared at her.

"How'd you know?" Isobel spoke enchantingly, smirking.

"Because I've heard what a bitch you are." Amelia taunted.

In a flash, Isobel was in front of her and she jerked her neck to the side. Amelia grimaced in pain. "You seem to be missing something very important to you." Isobel taunted, caressing her bare chest. "I would watch your mouth if I were you."

Amelia breathed heavily as Isobel walked away from her. She glanced at the man and woman who were standing next to her, and she wondered if they were vampires. A few minutes later, she heard voices. "I see you're packing. That's a good sign." She recognized John Gilbert's voice.

"Won't be long now." Isobel agreed.

"Did you get the missing piece? Where is it?" John asked.

"I don't have it yet." Isobel said.

"Then why did you call me here?" John asked boldly.

Amelia heard their footsteps approaching. "Cause I have the next best thing."

Amelia watched as John Gilbert and Isobel rounded the corner. "Amelia Whitmore: Damon's little play thing." Isobel explained.

Amelia glared at her and tried to stand up, but the man next to her pushed her back to her seat. "Sit down!" He yelled.

"What the hell are you doing?" John asked her, surprised at her bold actions.

"Getting what I want." Isobel explained.

"Yeah, but this is Sheriff Forbes' daughter. I used to babysit her for Christ sake!" John protested.

Isobel smirked at him. "That gaudy ring on your finger… It comes off." Isobel warned him.

"Come on, Isobel, she's just a kid, I know you won't hurt her." John protested. Amelia was surprised. She didn't realize that he cared that much about her.

"Really?" Isobel asked before saying something in french to the man and woman standing next to her. Amelia had studied french for a few years, but she said it too fast for her to understand.

The next thing she knew, she had been thrown to the floor on her stomach as a hard kick landed to her ribs. Amelia gasped as blow after blow rained down on her, being unable to stop it.

Amelia saw John step forward out of the corner of her eye and Isobel said something else. The large man threw John to the ground as well, and beat him until he was bleeding and groaning.

"Okay." Isobel said, stepping forward and sliding the ring off of John's hand. "Let's see how you do without this."

Isobel walked away leaving Amelia gasping and John groaning on the floor.

Amelia managed to wiggle her way into a sitting position. She gasped, every breath felt painful to her. She felt a trickle of blood roll down her forehead and she laughed painfully. "I didn't know you cared so much about me, John."

John groaned. "Yeah, well, you're just a kid."

"Why is she so obsessed with the Gilbert Invention?" Amelia asked him, irritated.

John didn't answer her.

Several hours later, Amelia was being manhandled by two of Isobel's minions near the town square. She watched, concerned, as Elena met up with Isobel.

She couldn't hear them talking, but she was suddenly shifted forward as the guards carried her towards Isobel as she struggled.

Amelia watched as Damon and Stefan Salvatore appeared behind Elena, a look of concern on all three of their faces. "Do you really think that _I_ came alone?" She heard Elena say boldly.

"For God's sake, she's _fine_. See?" Isobel said, annoyed, pointing to Amelia.

Elena frowned. "You hurt her."

Isobel shrugged. "I was _going_ to kill her, but I realized keeping her alive would serve a better purpose for me… You should be grateful."

"You took a risk with Damon. How did you know that he was going to give it to me?" Elena asked her boldly.

"Cause he's in love with her." Isobel said blatantly, looking at Amelia.

Amelia felt her heart race as everyone in the courtyard looked at her in surprise. Elena furrowed her brow, and Damon glanced away, studying the walkway.

Isobel held out her hand for the invention. Elena shook her head. "Give us Amelia back first."

Isobel sighed and nodded to her minions. Amelia gasped as they pushed her forward, and she landed hard on the ground, skinning up her knees. Her hands were still tied behind her back, as she groaned on the ground. A moment later, Damon was undoing her ropes, and he helped her back over towards Stefan.

Elena handed over the invention to Isobel and Amelia piped up. "My talisman!"

Isobel groaned, but took it from her pocket and tossed it over to them. Amelia managed to catch it in the air clumsily, feeling relieved.

"Thank you." Elena said to Isobel out of no where.

"For what?" Isobel asked curiously.

"For being such a monumental disappointment. It keeps the memory of my real mother perfectly intact." Elena choked out, tears in her voice.

"Goodbye, Elena." She glanced at Amelia and then back to Elena. "As long as you have a Salvatore on your arm, you're doomed." Isobel promised them. "Katherine was smart. She got out. But we all know that you're not Katherine."

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief as Isobel and her minions walked away. Amelia watched as Elena and Stefan embraced, feeling slightly envious of her.

Damon turned her around, and put her necklace on for her. "Are you okay?"

Amelia took a shaky breath. "It hurts to breathe, but I'll be alright." She laughed, the pain echoing throughout her body. She felt so relieved to have her talisman back - her powers back.

Amelia turned around and threw her arms around Damon, wanting to cry. "Thank you for helping me. I was so worried… so worried that you would all just… leave me with her, forget about me…" She admitted into his jacket.

Damon pulled away from her and glared at her. "Listen to me, Amelia. I will _never_ abandon you, do you understand me?"

Amelia nodded shakily and wrapped her arms around him again, allowing herself to trust him, to be comforted by him.

Amelia let him drive her home, and when he pulled up in her driveway, she hesitated to get out. "I'll meet you upstairs." He promised her.

Amelia nodded to him, and went into her bedroom, shutting the door quietly so she didn't wake Caroline. Liz wasn't home yet.

Amelia took a deep breath, trying to control her emotions as she turned around to see Damon standing right behind her. He touched her head and she hissed in pain, flinching away from him. Damon frowned. "It's okay, I'll heal in a few hours now that I have my talisman back." Amelia said, so he didn't worry.

Damon was suddenly gone and she felt extremely disappointed. She sighed and sat down on her bed, looking at her dirt covered hands. When she looked up, Damon was suddenly in front of her, a wet washcloth and a towel in his hands.

Amelia said nothing as he hesitantly cleaned the dried blood from her forehead.

When he was done, she gasped in pain, holding her side when she tried to stand up.

"Easy, now." Damon said quietly. He reached up and gingerly touched her side, causing her to hiss in pain. "I could kill her." Damon said darkly.

"I'm fine, Damon, really…" Amelia lied.

"Come on, let me look at it." He said, gesturing to her shirt.

"I-I, no, Damon, um." She stuttered, feeling blood rush to her face.

"I've already seen you in a bikini, this isn't any different." Damon coaxed her and Amelia held her breath as he unbuttoned her long sleeve plaid shirt.

Amelia glanced down over her breasts in her plain, black bra to see bruising that covered most of her left side, and ribs. Amelia was embarrassed at how pale she was and refused to look at him while he looked at her.

"Hey." Damon said gently, lowering her chin so she was looking at him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of." He reassured her.

She took a deep breath and nodded as he cleaned up a gash on her stomach.

When he was finally done, she tried to run her fingers through her hair, only to realize that it was caked with blood. She grimaced and muttered, "Shower."

When she came back into her bedroom, still feeling sore, but feeling a little better after washing herself, she noticed that Damon was still there. He was laying on her bed, reading one of her books from her shelf. She noticed that he had taken off his button down shirt, and his shoes, and was now wearing jeans and a black undershirt. Amelia was wearing a pair of blue comfy shorts and a small gray tank top.

She crawled into bed with him and surprised both of them as she cuddled up to him, enjoying his warmth. "Please don't go." She muttered sleepily.

Damon looked at her softly and stroked her wet hair until she fell asleep, realizing just how much he cared for his little witch. _I can always kill her tomorrow…_ He thought to himself as he reminded himself of his promise to every Whitmore.

Amelia had just climbed into Sheila's car after a slow morning shift at the Mystic Falls Veterinary Clinic when her phone began to ring. She was surprised to see Damon's name lit up on her phone - he hardly ever called her.

"Where are you?" He demanded as soon as she opened her phone.

"Er, I'm fine, thanks, how are you?" She joked. "I just got out of work, why?"

Damon was quiet for a moment. "I just - you weren't in your bed when I woke up, and with everything that happened with Isobel… I was just, er, never mind." He said, uncomfortable.

Amelia couldn't help the smile that creeped up on her face. "Damon Salvatore - were you worried abo-" She started, teasingly before hearing the dial tone as Damon hung up on her.

She looked at her phone, surprised. Did he seriously just hang up on her?

She looked up when she noticed a familiar Chevy Camaro pull up beside her. She held her hands out in a 'what-the-heck' gesture, and he mouthed, "Get in!"

Amelia grabbed her sweatshirt and her bag before climbing in his car gingerly, aware of her injuries. "I'm feeling impulsive today. Let's go do something fun!" She smiled coyly at him.

Damon smiled at her smugly. "Just remember you asked for it." He quickly accelerated the car out of the parking lot, squealing the tires. She giggled, shaking her head.

_What am I getting myself into?_ She asked herself as her long hair whipped back behind her.

They argued over the radio for a few minutes before he convinced her of a popular classic rock station.

She listened to the music and watched the trees pass by in a blur for a few minutes before she realized they were almost to the Salvatore Boarding House. She looked at him in confusion and before she could ask he said, "Quick pit stop."

She sat in the car as he blurred up onto the porch and into the house. He returned about a minute later with a to go cup and some sort of clothing bag covering over his arm. He put the bag in the trunk and hopped over the door into his seat rather arrogantly.

Amelia rolled her eyes and took the cup from the cup holder. "It's a little early for Bourbon isn't it?" She asked as she sniffed it, expecting the bittersweet odor of the alcohol.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Damon practically sang and Amelia wrinkled her forehead in confusion before realizing what was inside.

"Oh! Yuck…" She yelled putting the cup back in the holder.

"What, not fond of soccer mom?" He joked, winking at her.

Amelia glared at him and tried to smooth out her hair that was already becoming wild.

"So, where are we going, anyway?" She asked casually, fingering her talisman.

"It's a surprise." He responded after pausing a moment.

Amelia groaned. "_Damon_, I hate surprises…"

Damon smirked at her. "You know, they say that patience is a virtue…" He trailed off smugly.

Amelia whacked him and was surprised when he swerved the car into the other lane before returning back to their lane. Her heart was pounding as he looked at her, fake hurt on his face. "God, Amelia, are you trying to kill us?" He joked.

Amelia knew perfectly well that he had done that on purpose and she remained silent. She hummed along quietly to the songs that she knew for a while before she became curious. "Tell me about '1864 Damon Salvatore.'"

Damon glanced at her through his sunglasses and snorted. "He was a lot nicer. You probably would have liked him more." He admitted.

"Probably." She agreed and Damon gave her a look. She thought that he was maybe glaring at her through his sunglasses but it was hard to tell.

"And Stefan?"

"What about him?" Damon asked.

"What was he like?"

Damon sighed. "What does is matter, Amelia? It's all in the past. We're not those people anymore. Not the team that we used to be… brothers…"

Amelia was surprised. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset-"

"I'm not upset." Damon snapped at her, his hands clenched tight on the steering wheel.

Amelia felt hurt by his remark and turned away from him, silently watching more and more trees blur past them.

She noticed that they were slowing down and she peeked out the window, seeing the gas station that they were pulling into. She was grateful that she finally had access to a bathroom. She said nothing to him as she went searching for the bathroom and he pumped gas. When she was done, she meandered over to him and asked. "Do you want anything to snack on?"

"Are you offering?" He winked at her.

Amelia shook her head, exasperated, and didn't bother responding to him. She ended up grabbing a bag of MnM's and a gatorade. As she walked over to check out, she noticed something she thought Damon would like…

"You remembered." Damon stated, seemingly surprised as she handed him a pickle. "Thanks."

Amelia said nothing as she climbed back in the passenger seat and he went inside to pay.

Quite a while later, once they were back on the road, Damon blurted, "You don't look very much like your parents."

Amelia was surprised by the random remark. "You knew my parents?"

Damon paused, "Er, there was a picture in your room." He explained.

She sighed. "After my dad… you know… I heard my mom on the phone with Liz…. a-and she was crying and yelling and saying that she couldn't take care of a child that…" Amelia swallowed, trying not to get emotional. "That wasn't even hers…" She took a deep breath and finally looked at him. "I don't even know who my biological parents are." She chuckled morbidly. "A-and after everything Elena's gone through with Isobel… I've been thinking that maybe I don't want to know." She looked out the window and realized that they were coming to an urban area.

Amelia tensed up when she felt Damon's warm hand slide over her own. She heard the sound of the blinker and she looked out the window to see that they were pulling into the parking lot of a clothing store. "Er, this looks a little out of my budget…" Amelia said as she saw the beautiful clothing exhibited in the window.

"Stop frowning, I've got it all taken care of." He informed her, opening her car door for her.

Amelia twisted her ankle in a pot hole and squeaked as she felt herself falling towards the hard pavement. She was relieved when Damon grasped onto her before she could injure herself. "Wow, you're clumsy." He laughed. Amelia stretched out her ankle, ignoring Damon's comment. She was relieved it was only a little sore and nothing serious.

She held out the first door for him, feeling like a smartass. "Vampires first."

Damon rolled his eyes at her but walked through anyway. She was disappointed to see that there was a second door further inside and that he was holding it open, smirking at her. "Bitches… Oops, I mean witches, first." He murmured, winking at her.

Amelia shook her head but walked through the door unwillingly. She was stunned when she felt a rather firm smack on her rear end. She turned around, feeling her face turn redder than a tomato. "Did you ju-."

"Hi! How can I help you?" An eager salesman approached her.

Damon stepped in front of her. "Yes, I need to have a dress tailored for my beautiful wife."

Amelia felt rather embarrassed as the woman looked her up and down, a frown on her face. "Hmm, seems I have my work cut out for me."

She felt stunned and turned around to walk out the store when she felt Damon's familiar grasp on her wrist. Her heart accelerated when she saw the dark look on his face. He made eye contact with the salesman. "Why did you say that?" He demanded, his pupils dilating.

The woman's eyes glazed over. "I'm jealous of her. I want you all to myself." She said dully.

"Apologize." He compelled, glaring at her.

"Damon, it's fi-." Amelia protested, trying to pull him away.

"I'm sorry." The woman said, turning to her.

"You're feeling ill. Go home."

The woman frowned. "I don't feel well, excuse me."

Amelia was too stunned to say anything as Damon sighed and tucked her hair out of her face. "Why… why did you do that?" She asked, confused.

Damon was quiet for a moment as he browsed dresses. "You're too insecure for your own good." He said confidently, pulling out a dark red sleeveless dress. "Sometimes people are assholes."

She followed behind him meekly as she caught a glimpse of the price tag. "Damon, I can't let you buy th-."

"Look, we can't do what I'd like if you're wearing jeans so help me pick out dresses." He demanded.

She took a deep breath but snuck off to the clearance section, finding a pretty, purple, one shoulder dress. When she met back up with him, she had a sinking feeling that he knew she had been in the clearance section, but neither of them mentioned it. They found the dressing rooms and she went inside with three dresses. She tried on the red dress first. It felt too tight at the bust, and her breasts felt like they were going to fall out.

"Come out, I'll zip you up." Damon called from the other side of the door.

"Um, that's okay, I don't think this is the one." She called back meekly.

"Please?"

She sighed but stepped out anyway, her hands covering up her chest. She turned around and shivered as she felt his cool fingers on her bare back. The dress zipped up tightly and she turned back around, refusing to blush as Damon's eyes trailed southward.

"You've been holding out on me." He winked at her and dodged her as she tried to hit him. "Ah, ah, ah! Now you're just predictable."

"Urgh!" She glared at him, and slammed the dressing room door shut. She tried to unzip the dress for several minutes, but was unsuccessful.

"Everything all right in there?" Damon called out knowingly as she fumbled around.

"Dammit!" She muttered under her breath but said nothing to him as she walked back out and turned her back to him.

"Can I help you?" Damon asked innocently, playing dumb.

"Damon, I swear to-."

"All right, all right…" He murmured and he unzipped the dress for her.

She huffed but went back into the dressing room and shimmied the dress off her. She tried on the purple, short, one shoulder dress. It looked okay on her, but she thought it made her look much more pale than she already was. She exited the room and he zipped it for her as he appraised it.

"Hmm." He said, circling her like a vulture.

"Hmm?" She questioned.

"Hmm." He agreed, annoying her. He helped her unzip and she tried on the final dress that Damon had picked out: a light blue dress that fell to the floor in length, but was open in the front. Under her bust was an intricate jeweled design. There was an open slit between her breasts, and the dress was held up by a jeweled V-strap. Amelia twirled and loved the way that it accentuated her curves in an elegant way.

She smiled at Damon as she shyly exited the room. He returned the smile and zipped her up. She held out her arms and slowly spun. "Well?" She asked when he said nothing.

"You look beautiful." He informed her, waving over the tailor that had been lurking over them since they had entered.

The tall, slender woman scurried over to them and immediately began touching her - moving her hair to the side, lifting her arm to mess with the fabric… Amelia flinched, feeling uncomfortable and Damon observed her behavior. "Hm, ah, yes! My, my, this dress makes your eyes pop!" She said enthusiastically, pulling out a measuring tape and wrapping it around her. "Hmm, yes, just a small adjustment here and there…"

Amelia gritted her teeth and clenched her fists as the woman continued to probe around her bruised ribs. She worked hard to keep quiet and was relieved when she stopped. It only took the woman about ten minutes to finish fitting her for the dress. She hadn't even noticed that Damon had left for a few minutes, but when she saw him again, he was wearing a tuxedo. Amelia realized that must have been what he had stashed in the trunk. The tailor helped her into a pair of (probably expensive) expensive heels. She half-stumbled/half-walked to the front desk, not used to the tall heels. She clutched onto Damon's arm for support and he had a smug smile on his face. Finally, she began to feel more steady in them and she let go as Damon paid for her clothes. She couldn't believe the amount of money he was spending. She would never spend that much money on a _dress_.

"Now will you tell me where we're going?" Amelia asked as he escorted her back to the car.

"We're almost there, you'll see." Damon said smugly.

Amelia groaned but said nothing else. She smoothed the fabric as they sped along to their destination.

"In the console, there's a box…" Damon trailed off.

Amelia got the hint and she opened the console, seeing a large jewelry box sitting on top. "Damon." She warned.

"Just open it." He ordered.

Amelia sighed, but opened the box. Inside was an intricately woven bracelet and a set of earrings. They both looked old but in good condition. "Your mothers?" She guessed, thinking of the earrings Damon had given her that had been his mothers. "They're beautiful…"

Amelia didn't want to hurt his feelings so she reluctantly put on the jewelry.

After several minutes they pulled up under the canopy next to the entrance to a large, modern-looking building. The valet opened the door for her and helped her out of the car. She noticed that Damon didn't look too pleased, but she didn't say anything.

Amelia allowed Damon to escort her into the building as she looked around in wonder at the modern artwork that decorated the room. "There's a lot of people here." Amelia murmured, feeling a little overwhelmed. She was grateful that they had dressed up. Even with the expensive clothing, she felt a little out of place as she saw all of the fancy hair-do's and jewelry.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." Damon said as he left swiftly.

She glanced around the room, feeling awkward as she waited for him to return. Most of the people here were much, much older than she was. She flinched in alarm when a man grabbed onto her wrist. She immediately received a cold, terrible feeling from him and her heart began to pound. "Rebekah?" The dark haired man asked her.

She saw a vision of herself and this man, only they were dressed in ancient clothing. Wait, no, not herself, just someone who looked very similar to her.

"N-no, I'm not Rebekah." She stuttered, frightened of him.

The vampire frowned and scrutinized her more closely, making her even more uncomfortable. He scratched his facial hair with his hand before saying, "My apologies, excuse me."

She watched as he walked out of the entrance. _Damon? _She thought frantically, trying to call out to him. _Damon?_

A few moments later, Damon appeared, frowning. He had glasses of what looked like champagne in each hand. "Did you just-?"

"Damon!" She whispered, grabbing onto his arm. "There was a vampire here. H-he walked up to me, and h-he must have thought that I was someone else, or something…" She rambled, unsure of how to explain her encounter.

Damon's frown deepened and they were both on high alert. She explained to him that he had left, but he wanted to be careful anyway. "Come on, the show's about to start…" He murmured in her ear. Her right hand carried her glass and her left was clenched onto Damon's arm nervously.

They walked through a set of doors and Amelia was surprised to see an auditorium that was quickly filling up and an almost empty stage with a grand piano. The lights began to darken and they wasted no time in finding seats. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if you would please find your seats - the show will be starting shortly!" He announced.

They both sat in quiet thought for a few minutes. Amelia was entranced when the performer began his first song. She couldn't believe the masterpiece he was performing - she didn't think she'd ever have the skill to do that.

Amelia had only had one sip of the champagne when Damon leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Are you going to drink that?"

She frowned, but handed it over to him. He had already finished his first. They both joined in the round of applause as the first song ended and the performer transitioned into a soft, tranquil tune.

As Amelia listened to the music, she smiled, thinking about how surprisingly thoughtful Damon had been. She didn't remember ever being as happy as she felt in this moment.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt Damon's warm hand rest on her knee. She didn't dare to look at him.

_That is not something friends do! _Her brain screamed at her.

She stood up, surprising even herself, and quickly exited the auditorium - feeling overwhelmed.

The sound of the piano quickly faded away as she stepped outside into the cool air. She felt goosebumps rise on her arms, most likely from the cold. Even though it was slightly unpleasant, it was a nice distraction from piercing blue eyes and strong arms, silky black hair and soft fingertips…

Amelia groaned and looked up at the starry sky, taking in the vastness of it. She couldn't be falling for Damon, she just couldn't be! _He hurt Caroline…. he's still in love with Katherine… he's a vampire, a _murderer_!_ She reminded herself. _He's my friend…. he makes mistakes, but I trust him… he's saved my life…_

"I told you, she looks just like her!" Amelia's heart raced as she noticed the two men standing a few feet to her left. She recognized the man with facial hair as the vampire who had called her 'Rebekah' earlier.

The man next to him was clearly the one in authority. He had reddish brown hair, and a stern, wise look to him. He was dressed in a tuxedo, one that was even nicer than Damon's.

Somehow, Amelia felt she knew this man, and the thought scared her. She turned to head back inside, not wanting to confront two possible vampires. She flinched to see that the man that had yet to speak was standing right in front of her.

He looked right into her eyes and Amelia realized he was about to try to compel her. "Who are you?" His smooth voice demanded.

Amelia played along. "My name is… Kim Johnson. I'm a college student at Whitmore College." She lied, trying to calm her racing heart.

The man wrinkled his forehead. "You're _lying_." He stated in disbelief.

The vampire with the facial hair blurred right next to her and glared. He grabbed onto her, hard, probably bruising her arms. Amelia panicked as she saw black veins appear on his face, and his fangs.

"No!" She yelled, and threw her hands out at him. The vampire screamed as he was enveloped in flames before finally succumbing to his death. Amelia glanced around, thankful that no one was around to bear witness to what had just happened. The other man approached her cautiously and she threw her arms out again, warning him, "Stay away from me!" Amelia felt like a cornered wild animal - petrified, but dangerous.

"You can't kill me." He said, sounding amused. The man seemed to be staring at her talisman. "Where did you get that?" He asked her, seemingly uncaring that she had just killed his friend.

She backed away cautiously, not taking her eyes off of him. "Very well, I'll be in touch." The man said ominously before disappearing into the night.

She walked quickly back into the lobby, needing to find Damon. She closed her eyes and searched for him. Her eyes shot open as she recognized the feel of him from the men's room. She practically jogged in that direction, and ran into him as he walked out the door. He caught her by her sore arms. "Ouch!" Amelia groaned, pulling away from him.

Damon's face grew dark as he saw the painful, fingerprint bruises on her arms. "What happened?"

Amelia grabbed his arm and led him to the valet to get their keys back. "We have to go, now! I'll explain in the car!"

They were both on high alert as the valet gave him his keys back and they jogged out to the car. Damon quickly sped off and Amelia breathed a sigh of relief, feeling more safe now that she had the protection of the vehicle and a vampire.

She explained to him what had happened - the two vampires confronting her, and trying to compel her. How the man had grabbed her, and she had panicked, killing him. She told him of the man's vague threat to her.

She listened to him as he spoke angrily. She shrunk down into her seat, feeling uncomfortable by the biting edge to his voice, his clenched hands on the steering wheel, and the rage that exuded from him.

He seemed to realize that he was making her uncomfortable because he lowered his voice and loosened his grip. Amelia was pretty sure she saw indents in the steering wheel though.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there to protect you." Damon sighed, not looking at her.

Amelia cracked a smile. "It's not your job to protect me, Damon. Besides, I did just fine protecting myself." She said confidently, also trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, well, not good enough. They should both be dead. I should have been there. I should've ripped his heart out for putting his hands on you, Amelia." He said darkly through clenched teeth.

Amelia reached over and grasped his hand. "Hey, listen. I'm okay. We're both okay. That's all that matters." She tried to soothe him, not liking that he was so unhappy. She was still adrenaline-filled, but she thought she should feel more guilty for killing that vampire. In fact, she didn't feel guilty at all. She knew that he wanted to harm her, possibly kill her, and she had reacted in a state of panic. _Did that make her a bad person?_ "Thank you for tonight, Damon, really. It was amazing - I had a great time."

Before Damon could reply, her stomach growled embarrassingly loud. Damon smiled and laughed boisterously, but Amelia refused to blush. If anything, she was glad to see him in a better mood. "That reminds me… food for the human."

"Yes please." Amelia smiled. She fiddled with her bracelet - Damon's mother's bracelet - as they drove to wherever he was taking them.

They pulled into a busy, expensive looking restaurant and she began to feel apprehensive. She stepped out of the car, shivering, and Damon met her, unbuttoning his coat before helping her into it. The coat was toasty warm from his body heat and it smelled like… Damon. She wasn't sure how to describe it.

"You know, I'd be just as happy going through the drive-thru." She informed him, feeling bad that he had been spending all this money.

Damon scoffed. "Seriously? The drive-thru? Does it look like I do the drive-thru?"

She was very alert of her surroundings as they made their way to to entrance. "Reservation for Salvatore." Damon told the hostess. Amelia glanced around at all of the people who were waiting in the lobby.

The woman frowned as she glanced at her paper. "Your reservation isn't until nine, Mr. Salvatore…"

Damon waited for her to glance up before compelling her. "There's been a mistake - it's fine."

The hostess agreed, a smile on her face. "It's fine. Right this way Mr. Salvatore, Mrs. Salvatore…"

Amelia frowned at his compulsion, but didn't bother to correct her. She led them to a booth and Damon waited for her to sit before he slid across from her. "Your waiter will be right with you." The hostess smiled before walking away.

"Compulsion? Really?" Amelia said, irritated.

"Well, if _someone_ hadn't left early, I wouldn't have had to compel her."

She frowned. "Are you using Damon-logic on me?"

"Damon-logic?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, when you use circular logic to justify the bad things you do." Amelia explained, unravelling her silverware.

Damon didn't have a chance to reply as the waiter appeared at their table. "What can I get you folks to drink tonight?" He asked cheerfully.

Amelia opened her mouth, about to order water when Damon said. "Yes, we'll take your finest red wine, please."

"Excellent choice, right away, sir." The waiter exclaimed. "I'm just gonna have to see some ID."

Damon smiled at him. "It's all taken care of."

The waiter smiled. "It's all taken care of." And walked away, compelled.

Damon shook his head, exasperated, and she thought she heard him mutter, "Drive-thru…"

Amelia glanced around and realized that the music was actually coming from a small live group across the dimly-lit restaurant. From what she could tell, there was a pianist, a violinist, and a singer.

Again, everyone there was dressed as well as they were. Jeans and a t-shirt wouldn't fly here.

She opened the menu and realized that she didn't recognize anything on it. She heard Damon chuckling, and she glanced up at him. "What's so funny?" She dared.

Damon put his hands up, "Nothing, nothing." He had a perfectly innocent look on his face, but she knew it was a lie.

She was grateful when Damon explained to her the dishes and what the Italian words meant.

"Anything you like?" Damon asked her.

"Um… how much was that shrimp pasta thing?" She asked hesitantly.

Damon set down his menu and glared at her. "Amelia, you can get anything, seriously. Don't worry about how much it is."

She sighed. "Okay…" She was surprised when someone who wasn't their waiter appeared with their wine. She racked her brain trying to think of the term. He was the… sommelier?

The sommelier poured a little wine into a glass and swirled it around, letting it sit for a second before he dumped it out. Amelia was surprised, and she glanced at Damon but he didn't seem surprised. She watched as she did it with the other glass as well before pouring the wine in.

"Thank you." She murmured as he set it down in front of her. To her delight, he also set down a basket of breadsticks.

"_Grazi._" Damon said to the sommelier, before winking at her.

"You know Italian?" Amelia asked as the sommelier walked away.

"What, 'Salvatore,' didn't do it for you?" Damon chided, taking a sip of his wine. "Mm, not much, but after being around for so long, you start to pick up on a lot of things.

Amelia took a sip of her wine and grimaced slightly. It was good, but very strong. "So, Mr. _Senior Citizen_, tell me: why the ruse?"

Damon wrinkled his forehead. "What ruse?"

"This, this, _thing_ that we're doing. Road-tripping, going to that performance, eating dinner at a fancy restaurant… What gives?" She blurted.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to do something fun. I was only… obliging your wish." Damon retorted defensively.

Amelia snorted. "We can have fun at the park, or, or, I dunno… visiting the pet store! This… it's just too much… You've spent so much money and-."

"_Amelia_." Damon pleaded, reaching over and grasping her hands. "Relax. I just wanted to have fun. It's good to get out of Mystic Falls for a little while… Listen to some good music, have dinner with a pretty girl…" He looked at her intently and she glanced away. "Besides, I couldn't stand anymore of Stefan's brooding." He joked, shuddering.

Amelia chuckled at his comment and bit into one of the breadsticks hungrily.

"How's the wine?" The waiter asked her as she hurriedly tried to swallow.

Damon chuckled. "Excellent of course." He chuckled.

"Are we ready to order, or do we need a few more minutes with the menu?"

"I think we're ready." Amelia smiled at him.

Amelia was grateful that Damon ordered the meal that he described as a shrimp and pasta dish. He sounded so eloquent and she had no idea how to pronounce the words she was reading.

"What was that you ordered?" She asked, unsure of what he had said.

"Ravioli di Portobello?" He pronounced it much more slowly than he had to the waiter. "It's a, uh, ravioli and mushroom dish." He explained.

"Oh, yum." She commented before finishing her breadstick.

She idly played with her napkin as her mind whirled. _What if Isobel was wreaking havoc back home? What the hell was John Gilbert really doing in town? What if Liz found out she was a witch? Would she kick her out? Burn her at the stake like John Gilbert had predicted? What if Stefan couldn't fix his blood problem? What if he hurt Elena? What if he _killed_ her…?_

"Amelia?" She looked up to see Damon staring at her.

"Hm?" She murmured. "Excuse me." She stood up and quickly tracked down the bathroom, needing to be alone. Her hands felt shaky - her heart rate fast. What was she doing out here, playing pretend? She needed to get home… She splashed water on her face and flinched in surprise.

"Damon, you can't be in here…" She scolded, breathless, not turning around.

"Are you all right? You seem… upset." He said walking towards her, putting a hand on her arm.

"I'm fine…" She lied, trying to take a deep breath, but unable to. _What if that vampire came back?_

"Amelia! Come on, look at me." He prodded her to turn around and she complied slowly. "What's wrong? Did you - have a vision, or something?" He guessed.

"No, no, it's nothing like that, really… I'm just… anxious… I guess." She muttered, embarrassed. Damon seemed to be at a loss for words. "Come on, our food will be out soon…" She said awkwardly, leaving the restroom.

She slid back into her chair and took a long gulp of wine, trying to soothe her nerves. She reminded herself to be careful of how much she drank - she needed to be in control of herself, and her powers. _Bonnie must hate her for letting Sheila die… _

A moment later, Damon was there, and so was their food. Two waiters served their entrees at the same time, and took the covers off. "It looks delicious." Amelia told them, even though her stomach was in knots.

She tentatively twirled her pasta with her fork when the smell hit her - making her feel nauseous. She concentrated on not vomiting for several moments before taking a tiny bite out of her shrimp. It tasted great, but her stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. _Did her father like seafood? She couldn't remember…_

Damon was eating his food quietly, listening to the violinist's solo. _Would Damon ever get over Katherine? Or would she spend the rest of her days pining over him? _He looked so handsome in his white button up, and black tie. His sleeves were rolled up, showing off his strong arms… His hair slicked back neatly, and, _oh_, those icy blue eyes…

His eyes flickered up to meet hers, noticing that she had been looking at him. She gave him a small smile and looked away, pushing her pasta around on her plate. _Did he think she was too pale? Too flat-chested? _

Amelia thought about how beautiful Elena was, and in-turn, Katherine. Her tan skin hid any imperfections. Her kind, brown, doe-eyes captivated any man in a ten foot radius. Her long, straight brown hair never was astray… _Why isn't Damon obsessed with Elena? Why did he keep spending time with her? What was his ulterior motive? _

"You've hardly touched your plate." Damon scolded before finishing off his wine.

Amelia grimaced. "My stomach hurts." She said truthfully.

The sommelier quickly returned and filled Damon's glass. He gestured to top off hers as well, but she quickly shook her head. _What if her grades weren't good enough to get scholarships? What if she wasn't smart enough to get into vet school?_

The rest of the night went by quickly, and Damon didn't comment on her lack of appetite again. They were quiet on the way home. Damon had put in a classical rock CD that she wasn't familiar with. She tried her hardest to stay awake, trying to identify constellations and watching the sliver of moon that seemed to follow them, but she eventually drifted to sleep.

_"Finny!" A little blonde girl giggled, looking behind every obstacle in the small hut. She was wearing an ancient looking dress, and the room was lit by candles. "Finny!" _

_"Got you!" A boy littler than her with brown hair jumped out from behind a wooden chair._

_The little girl screamed in delight. A young woman with long golden hair appeared that she recognized, however, this time, she was hugely pregnant. "Children! What have I told you?"_

_The little girl sighed and the younger boy piped up. "Play is for outside?" _

_The mother sat down and the children snuggled next to her. She sighed. "That is right. I need my rest so I can finish growing your brother or sister."_

_The little girl pouted. "I told you mother - his name is 'Lijah! I saw him."_

_The mother ran her hand over the little girl's hair, smoothing it out. "That was only a dream, my darling."_

_The little girl pouted and played with the necklace chain that resided on her mother's neck. "Auntie said 'twas a vision! Tha-that I am like her. She promised to teach me when it is time." She frowned. "Why can you not teach me, mother?" _

_A dark look crossed the mother's vision "You will not speak to your aunt, do you hear me?!" She stood up, sending the children fumbling onto the ground as she ran out of the room, her head in her hands and sobs echoing throughout the house…_

**A/N: Hi, everyone! We're finally getting more into Amelia's back story! Any predictions? Another of my favorite chapters... **

**-TeamComrade11**


	24. Chapter 23: Founder's Day

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 23: Founder's Day**

**February 25, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore grimaced in pain as Caroline Forbes laced up her corset.

"'Don't be such a baby.'" Caroline mocked what Amelia had just told her moments ago when she had to lace her up.

Amelia hissed, but said nothing as her ribs ached. Although she was a witch, and her wounds healed quickly, she still felt the effects of the beating she had taken about a week previously. All of her open wounds had healed, but she wondered if perhaps she had broken a rib or two.

Both of the girls had their hair curled, and Amelia was wearing a pale, pink and white dress from the 1800's era that illuminated her curves. Amelia didn't like how low cut the corset was, and she was constantly trying to pull it up to cover her breasts, but to no avail.

Amelia was helping Caroline with a few last minute things for the parade when she noticed Stefan and Damon staring at Elena in shock. Amelia realized that Elena must look exactly like Katherine today.

Amelia glanced away and went back to work. "Lia!" Caroline called before she dragged her over towards Matt and Bonnie. Amelia protested as Caroline posed for a picture for her, but she gave in reluctantly and hugged her sister, smiling for the photo.

Then, Bonnie took one of Caroline and Matt. "I want one with Bonnie now." Care said.

"Here, I can take it." Tyler volunteered.

Amelia tried to hide her smile as she realized Tyler was still trying to get back into Matt's good graces.

"I'll be on the float." Matt said, walking off.

"Uhh, I said I was sorry." Tyler said, irritated.

"You made out with his mother, and then you beat him to a pulp. You're gonna have to do a little bit better than sorry." Caroline chastised him.

Amelia felt someone tap her on the shoulder and she turned around to see Damn there, in the same tuxedo that he had worn to the pageant. She had a flashback of them dancing, him holding her close… "Where's my picture?" He pouted.

Caroline rolled her eyes and walked away, glaring at the pair of them, but Bonnie reluctantly took a picture of the two of them.

"Now, don't you look just like a fine southern belle?" Damon said to her in a corny southern accent.

Amelia hit him playfully. "Stop it, I didn't even want to come to this stupid parade, but Carol Lockwood was gonna throw a fit if I didn't ride up on the float, so…"

Amelia walked over to the float and he trailed after her, helping her up onto it. He kissed her hand and she rolled her eyes at him as he climbed on as well.

"Let's give a hand to the Mystic Falls High School Marching Band!" Carol Lockwood announced as the crowd clapped and cheered for the parade. "And, for a little local history, Mr. Saltzman's students have recreated Virginia's Battle of Willow Creek."

Amelia waved and smiled at the crowd as the float moved forward. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls court, and their handsome escorts."

Damon had one hand on her waist, and the other he used to wave at the crowd. "This is Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls!" The cheering increased. Amelia noticed Bonnie waving at Caroline from the crowd, but when she saw Damon and Amelia, she stopped and looked away. "Aren't they beautiful?" Carol Lockwood asked the crowd, and they cheered even louder.

Amelia frowned, but went back to waving, putting on an act for the crowd.

Amelia was grateful when the parade finally ended. She noticed Damon following Bonnie, and she followed after them, concerned. She paused, hidden from them, but she was able to hear Damon thanking Bonnie for de-spelling the device. She was surprised that he had gone out of the way to thank her. Surprised that he had thanked her, really. _Damon had a bad rep, but we he really all that bad?_ She wondered to herself.

Amelia walked out of the bathroom in The Grill after changing into a pair of black jeans, black combat boots, and a light purple blouse that was fairly low-cut as well, but not nearly as bad as the corset had been. She noticed Damon and she smiled at him, walking towards him.

"I like you better like this. The period look it… didn't suit you." Damon said.

Amelia frowned, feeling insecure. "Is that an insult?" She asked, slightly irritated.

"Actually, Amelia, it is a compliment of the highest order." Damon said cockily.

Amelia shook her head and chuckled before becoming more serious. "Look, I know my friends are worried about our… friendship."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Did he mention something to you, too?"

Amelia was surprised. "No, did he mention something to you?"

"No, nothing worth repeating." Damon backtracked, with a smirk on his face.

"So, I think you should stop with the flirty little comments and that eye thing that you do." Amelia said seriously.

"What eye thing?" Damon asked innocently, doing that eye thing that he does.

Amelia tilted her head and gave him a look.

"Hmm." Damon hummed.

"Don't make me regret being your friend, okay?" She asked quietly, fiddling with her necklace.

Damon nodded and Amelia noticed Elena and Jeremy talking not too far from them. "I don't believe that we can't fix this. I lied. I was wrong. But you're my brother Jer, and I love you. And I _have_ to fix it. So, just tell me. What can I do?" Elena asked him desperately.

Jeremy was quiet for a moment before saying, "You can go to hell, Elena."

Amelia caught Elena's eye as she looked over her shoulder tearfully at Jeremy and she walked over to her, giving her a hug. "He'll get over himself, Elena, he's just upset."

Elena nodded, wiping her eyes.

A few hours later, Damon and Amelia were laughing, eating cotton candy, when Anna appeared behind them. "You're still in town?" Amelia groaned.

"There's something you need to know. The vampires from the tomb are planning an attack tonight." Anna told them.

"How do you know this?" Damon asked, disbelieving.

"I went to them. They think I'm with them, but, I'm not. They want the Founding Families dead." Anna retorted.

"Well, when is this suppose to happen?" Amelia asked.

"When the fireworks start." Anna explained.

Damon paused. "John Gilbert wants to use that invention on them."

"Wait, then we can't be here." Anna looked around, worried.

"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated." Damon explained.

"Well, then a lot of people are gonna die." Anna said, worried.

"Where are they right now?" Damon asked.

"They're already here, Damon." Anna said before walking away.

"Oh, my God… I have to get Liz and Caroline!" She said before walking away.

"Amelia!" Damon called. Amelia looked behind her. "Look after yourself." He advised.

Amelia said nothing and pulled out her phone, trying to get a hold of Liz. She happened to see the mayor walking by and she called out. "Mayor Lockwood! Have you seen my mom?!"

"Sheriff Forbes? Oh, uh, she called out sick." He said before walking away.

Amelia breathed a sigh of relief before trying to call Caroline, but her phone went to voicemail. She searched, and searched, and searched the square for about twenty minutes before she headed to The Grill.

She caught the tail end of Mayor Lockwood's conversation, and she heard Caroline and Matt agree to go home with Tyler. She breathed a sigh of relief and went to search for Elena and the Salvatore's.

Amelia pawed her way through the crowd, the sound of her heartbeat, the fireworks, and the crowd echoing throughout her brain. Anxiety crept up to her chest and she felt like she couldn't breathe. _Where were they…_

Amelia happened to find Alaric, and they searched together when they saw Stefan on the ground, groaning in agony, with Elena leaned over him. Amelia watched in confusion as a few other people fell to the ground, clutching at their head's.

Amelia was alarmed when she saw a deputy walking towards Stefan with a vervain dart.

"Hey, I got this one. There's one over there." Alaric grabbed onto the deputy, thinking fast. "Take this," He told him, handing him a stake. "Go, go, go!"

"I don't know what happened - he just dropped!" Elena explained worriedly as her and Alaric carried him out of sight.

"He's not the only one." Amelia said.

"Cops are grabbing everyone who's gone down. Injecting them with vervain." Alaric continued.

"What? They're rounding up the vampires." Elena realized.

They sat around Stefan for a few minutes until the effect seemed to wear off. "Are you okay?" Elena asked him worriedly.

"It's like needles were piercing my skull and then it just stopped." Stefan explained.

"I saw at least five vampires go down." Alaric told them as he descended back down the stairs. "They were taking them to your family's old building."

"It's the Gilbert Device, it has to be." Stefan realized.

Amelia shook her head. "No, that's impossible. Bonnie de-spelled it."

"Maybe she didn't." Alaric disagreed.

"She did, we saw her do it." Elena interjected.

"No, no, no. He's right. Think about it. We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that could protect people against vampires." Stefan explained.

"So we could protect you." Elena said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"And Damon… Vampires." Stefan said.

"Oh, my God…" Amelia whispered. "Where's Damon?!"

Alaric shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started."

Elena looked to Alaric. "Can you get my brother? Take him home?"

"Of course." Alaric agreed.

"Let's go." Amelia demanded, already walking away from them, in a hurry.

Amelia jogged towards the Gilbert's medical building when they came across John Gilbert. "Where's Damon?!" She asked him.

"With the rest of them, where he should be. It's over for Damon." Jonathan gloated.

Amelia felt her heart stop. "You're crazy." Elena shook her head.

"Why?" John asked. "Because I'm doing what should have been done a hundred and forty five years ago? This is the right thing, Elena." He looked to Stefan. "Go ahead, you won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself."

Amelia glared at him, tears in her eyes. "You know what I am. I could kill you!"

"But you won't." John smirked.

Stefan turned to Elena. "You know the building well. Is there another entrance in?"

"Uh, utility door, there's one around the side." Elena said as the three of them began to jog to the building. Amelia didn't notice that Elena and Stefan weren't following her, and the John had just confirmed to Elena that he was her father.

Just as she reached the building, she heard Bonnie call out. "Hey! You can't go in there."

"I will never forgive you for this if I can't save him, Bonnie." Amelia glared at her, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"The fire will take you out." Bonnie tried to reason with her.

Amelia turned to Bonnie, tears in her eyes. "I love him!" She cried as she threw open the warm door and ran inside. She cried out in pain as she grasped onto a searing hot door handle.

"Urgh!" She stomped her foot, the pain in her hand unbearable, even with the adrenaline that was pumping through her. She grabbed a cloth and managed to get the door open. She stepped away from the searing hot flames that threatened to rise up against her, and she forced herself to channel her fear and anger into her magic. She held out her hands and whispered an incantation. "Ex Spiritum In Tacullum, En Terrum Incendium, Phasmatos Salves A Distum."

She opened her eyes and almost fell over in relief as she realized the flames had gone down to a level that she could manage. She ran down the stairs, ignoring the cries of help from the vampires around her, and finally found Damon laying in the center.

"Damon!" She ran over to him, and helped him up. "Come on! We have to hurry, come on!"

She began muttering the incantation again, afraid at the sudden leap of strength in the flames. She listened to him cough until finally the flames sunk back down again so they could make it up the stairs.

"You came for me." Damon whispered, disbelieving.

"I couldn't abandon you." She told him, helping him out the door and into the cool air.

She couldn't hold onto Damon any longer, and she released him. He fell to the ground, and Stefan helped him back up. Amelia listened to him cough as she wiped away the trail of blood from her nose with her good hand, falling onto her knees, exhausted, and in shock.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked Damon.

Damon continued coughing, but he nodded.

"Oh, my God!" Elena exclaimed, seeing Amelia's hand.

Amelia clutched at her hand, sobbing in pain as most of the adrenaline finally wore off. The sight of her black, charred hand, made her want to vomit, and she almost did.

Damon was suddenly in front of her. He bit into his wrist and offered it to her.

Amelia shook her head vigorously, trying to catch a breath through her sobs.

"N-n-no." She protested. She knew she would heal eventually, even if it took a few days. But, God, the pain…

Damon wiped her tearstained, and soot covered face and Amelia finally nodded to him, accepting his offer. He shushed her as he held her. She drank the coppery tasting blood, feeling ashamed, and embarrassed, but mostly relieved as her hand began to feel better. When she pulled away, it was like she had never been injured in the first place.

She buried her face in his chest, feeling grateful at him healing her, scared that she had almost lost him, betrayed by Bonnie, and just overwhelmed in general.

When she had finally managed to calm down, Damon drove her home. He decided that he needed to make a pit stop and talk to Jeremy Gilbert, so she sat on the Gilbert's porch as Damon talked to him.

When Damon finally came back to the porch Amelia asked him. "What're you doing here?"

"A failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing." Damon replied.

"Which was?" Amelia asked, playing with her newly healed hand.

"It's not important." He shook his head, going to sit next to her.

"You know, I came in this town, wanting to destroy it. Tonight, I… found myself wanting to protect it. How does that happen? I'm not a hero, Amelia. I don't do good. It's not in me." Damon shook his head.

"Maybe it is." Amelia suggested, taking his hand in hers.

"No. No, it's reserved for my brother, and you. Even though you have every reason to hate me, you still saved me." Damon said, looking into her eyes.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" She shook her head, asking him.

"Because somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worth saving. And I wanted to… Thank you for that." Damon said seriously, moving in closer to her.

Amelia held her breath and glanced down at Damon's lips that were so close to her. "You're welcome." She said, feeling tongue-tied by his presence.

Amelia was surprised when he moved in and very intentionally kissed her cheek, his lips lingering there. He pulled away, just barely, looking for permission in her eyes as he leaned in hesitantly. Amelia glanced between his eyes and his lips, holding her breath. Finally, after an agonizing moment, he leaned in and his lips met hers. She sat still in surprise before leaning closer to him, and running her fingers through his hair as he put his arms around her.

_**A/N: *SILENTLY SCREAMING* Ah! Season finale - what'd you think?**_


	25. S2 Chapter 1: The Return

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Season Two, Chapter One: The Return**

**February 25, 2010 (continued)**

They both groaned as her phone began to ring, not wanting the moment to end. Amelia regretfully pulled away and searched for her phone, seeing that Liz was calling her. Amelia frowned and answered saying, "Hello?"

She tried to pull away from Damon as he playfully kissed down her neck. When she froze in shock as Liz told her that Caroline had been in a bad car accident, Damon finally pulled away from her, wrinkling his forehead.

"I'll be right there." She promised, ending the call and standing up. "Damon, we have to get to the hospital."

"I know, come on." Damon replied, opening the door to his car for her.

When they finally arrived to the hospital, Amelia was in near panic mode. After she had spoken to the receptionist, Damon grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "You need to get control of yourself. You're starting to make me freak out." Damon warned her.

Amelia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry." She was so stressed out that she had begun projecting.

About ten minutes later, Amelia finally caught sight of Liz who looked to be almost in tears. They made eye contact from across the hall and Amelia took off running to her. As soon as she wrapped her arms around her foster mom, Liz began to cry. "Sh, sh, it's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna be okay." Amelia falsely promised, not knowing how bad the situation was. She concentrated on trying to soothe her.

Liz nodded into her hair and sniffed before pulling away. "They just took her into surgery. She has some internal bleeding."

"Is she gonna be okay?" Matt asked from behind her. Amelia was surprised. She hadn't noticed him in her angst.

Liz nodded, trying not to break down again. "They're going to do everything that they can."

Amelia sat between Liz and Damon, worrying about Caroline. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but it felt like forever to her. She couldn't stop jiggling her leg. She listened to Matt and Tyler explain what had happened, as Tyler began apologizing profusely. She heard the grave news of Mayor Lockwood's passing, and Tyler left shortly after that.

She was surprised when Bonnie walked right up to them. "How's Caroline?" Bonnie asked.

Matt shook his head. "She's not good, Bon."

"What happened?" She heard Bonnie say as she sat down next to Matt.

"We were driving and Tyler heard this noise, and he got-."

"A noise?" Bonnie asked.

"He got like this migraine or something. And he lost control of the car. And, I thought that Caroline was fine… And then - and then she wasn't so…" Matt shook his head, trying to pull himself together.

Amelia's breath caught in her throat as she realized that Tyler had somehow been affected by the Gilbert Device. _How is that possible?_ Amelia thought, frustrated. _Tyler's not a vampire…_

Amelia realized that because Bonnie had lied about deactivating the device, Caroline was seriously injured…

She flinched as Damon set his hand on her bouncing knee before he stood up and walked away. Amelia watched in concern as Damon spoke to Liz before he hugged her.

She stood up as Elena approached her. "Amelia, how's Caroline?" She asked her.

Bonnie walked over to them. "She's weak." Bonnie said.

"They-they don't know if she's going to make it." Amelia said, refusing to look at them.

"What?" Elena asked in shock. Amelia stood rigid as Elena wrapped her arms around her. She spoke to Amelia and Bonnie. "Is there something that you can do? Like, a spell or something?"

"I-I-I don't know." Amelia stuttered. "I only know one, but it's a weak spell. I could try to learn a stronger one, but Sheila always told me that because I have to access my powers through my talisman, I'm not as strong as other witches. It's like… Like some of the energy is lost in transmission, or - or something."

"She doesn't know how… Do you?" Damon strode up to them, looking at Bonnie.

Bonnie shook her head. "No… I don't."

"No, you don't, because it took Emily _years_ to learn a spell like that." Damon taunted.

"Oh, yeah, well, I can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn." Bonnie glared at him.

"Guys, guys, just stop okay! You're not making this any easier." Amelia threw her hands up in the air before tugging at her hair, feeling fed up.

"I can give Caroline some blood." Damon volunteered.

Elena immediately shook her head. "No, no way."

"No, no, no, just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital and it'll be out of her system in a day. She'll be better."

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that." Elena said, as if it was her choice alone.

"Do it." Bonnie said confidently. "This is Caroline, okay? We can't let her die. Do it." Bonnie advised.

Ultimately Damon looked to her for the decision.

Amelia panicked. "I-I-I don't know…"

"This is Caroline we're talking about." Bonnie convinced her and finally she nodded reluctantly.

Damon looked to Bonnie. "If I do this, you and me, call a truce." Damon negotiated with Bonnie.

"No." Bonnie said smugly. "But you'll do it anyway… for Amelia."

Amelia refused to look at them but she heard two pairs of foot steps walk away.

"Uh - all right, I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now, but we should talk about what happened tonight." Damon said trying to get her to look at him.

Amelia continued to stare at the floor. "Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got in the house and almost killed John." Amelia blurted out what Elena had told her earlier, trying to avoid the subject.

"What-what-when?" Damon stuttered. "What are you talking about? After we left?"

Amelia nodded her head. "I guess."

Damon frowned. "You're acting like nothing even happened… Really? Earlier, on the porch? We were talking, all cathartic, feelings exposed. Come, on we kissed, Amelia!" He whispered, annoyed.

Amelia turned to walk away from him. "Look, I don't have time for this, Damon." She shook her head and flinched when he grabbed her arm.

"Hey, if you want to forget it happened, fine. But I can't!" Damon said to her quietly.

Amelia pulled away from him and went to sit by Elena. She couldn't deal with her crappy love life when her sister might be dying.

"Elena? I came as soon as I got your message." Elena's aunt, Jenna Sommers appeared. "How is John?"

"Where have you been?" Elena asked her worriedly.

"At the fire department. I had to fill out a report. I _told_ you earlier." Jenna emphasized.

"No you didn't." Elena wrinkled her forehead.

"Yes, I did. Right in the kitchen before John's accident!" Jenna argued.

"No, Jenna, you didn't." Elena disagreed.

"Yes, I did! You had just come off the porch - you were kissing Stefan for Christ sake's!" Jenna argued.

"I-I haven't even seen Stefan for a while now." Elena shook her head.

Amelia noticed that Damon had a funny look on his face. "Ohh… Mmm… you gotta be _kidding_ me."

Damon took off and Amelia followed him. "Damon! Where are you going?" She called after him.

"I have to tell Stefan." Damon said simply, not stopping.

"Tell him what?" Amelia asked, confused.

Damon briefly paused. "That Katherine's back in town." He said before turning around and leaving her in the hallway speechless.

When Amelia woke up, she realized she had fallen asleep leaning on Matt's shoulder. She rubbed her eyes wearily to see Damon crouched down in front of her, a look of concern in his eyes. "Can we talk?" He whispered to her.

Amelia nodded, and he took her hand, leading her down towards the noisy vending machines. "Katherine's back." He told her simply.

"Yeah, I got that by our vague conversation when you left earlier…" Amelia trailed off, feeling annoyed. They were both quiet for a moment. "Well? Did you reunite with your true love yet?" Amelia mocked angrily, refusing to look at him.

"I - what?" He asked confused.

Amelia scoffed and tried to walk away but he grabbed her wrist. She glared at him, sending a small burst of power at him, forcing him to let go. "Don't touch me."

They stood heatedly next to each other for a moment before Damon burst out into obnoxious laughter. Amelia watched him, becoming more angry and confused. He leaned his hands on his knees before standing back up. "Whew!" He chuckled.

"What's so funny?" She muttered irritatedly, kicking her shoe.

"Amelia Whitmore… are you jealous?" Damon chuckled.

Amelia forced herself not to blush. "Uh, _no_. Why would I be?" She asked rhetorically.

Damon chuckled before moving to stand in front of her. She refused to look up at him until she couldn't stand it any longer. They made eye contact for a moment before he spoke. "I'm going to drive a stake through Katherine's heart." Damon emphasized slowly. Amelia began to feel more stupid the more he spoke. "I hate the bitch. Wish I'd never met her."

Amelia frowned, feeling her neck grow warm. "I-I'm sorry." She mumbled, looking at the vending machine.

Damon chuckled and the pair walked quietly along the hallways of the hospital as he chatted with her, trying to keep her mind off things. Eventually, she fell asleep next to him in the waiting room.

When Amelia woke up that next morning, she was so relieved to see Caroline healthy and almost back to her normal self, that she threw her arms around her sister and began to cry. Caroline had to practically shove her out the door so she would go to Tyler's dad's funeral. Amelia changed into a black dress back at the house and mostly followed around Liz quietly until she sent her away so that she could talk to Carol Lockwood and Damon in privacy.

When the trio finally parted ways, Damon joined her and they quietly socialized together. She was surprised when she saw Elena walk in by herself. Her hair was curly, and she was wearing a leather jacket that she hadn't seen her wear in years.

She didn't have time to approach her when she head Bonnie's voice. "Did you know the Gilbert Device affected Tyler Lockwood?" Bonnie asked them.

Damon munched on hors d'ouevres. "Well, I know it took the mayor down." He said causally, chewing on his food.

Amelia frowned at his poor manners. "Don't you wanna know why?" She asked.

"Yes, Amelia, I would love to know why a non-vampire was tortured by the vampire torture device that _you_ let John Gilbert use against us!" Damon snapped at her.

Amelia blinked, feeling hurt, and walked away from them. "Ugh, Lia!" Damon groaned, but she didn't turn back until she heard Damon groaning in pain as Bonnie gave him a witchy migraine. "Oh, you were saying?" She heard Bonnie ask him innocently before walking away and looping arms with Amelia. Before Amelia could ponder if she should comfort Damon, or scold Bonnie, she was being dragged towards Elena.

"Oh, God, Damon drives me crazy!" Bonnie ranted to them. "He's walking around like he's some kind of hero for healing Caroline when it's his fault all this happened in the first place."

Amelia pulled away from her. "Uh, _no_, Bonnie, it's your fault. Don't think that I've forgiven you." She said angrily.

Elena shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bonnie, what Damon's done is just awful."

Amelia scoffed. "You're seriously siding with her after she almost got Stefan and Damon killed? And she _did_ get Mayor Lockwood killed. If it weren't for Damon, Care might not be with us either!"

Elena frowned and said nothing as Amelia stomped off.

She heard Bonnie say, "Better, hateful Damon moment over," as she walked away.

She ended up talking to Matt for a little while before they spotted Stefan and Elena walking together. Amelia frowned. Elena seemed to be walking strangely, and Stefan was rigid. And, was Elena wearing heels?

"Hey, guys." Matt said drearily, walking over to them. Amelia followed.

"Hi, Matt, Amelia. I, uh, I heard that Caroline was doing much better. Her recovery was practically miraculous." Elena hinted boldly. Amelia frowned, thinking it was strange that she would make such a comment in front of Matt. "You must be so relieved."

Matt nodded. "I am, thanks, Elena." He said before walking away.

"That's not Elena." Stefan warned Amelia.

"Ugh, his eyes are so blue!" Elena said dreamily.

"You need to leave, now, Katherine." Stefan advised her.

"You're hurting my feelings, Stefan. You were _much_ happier to see me last night." Katherine winked at him. Amelia came to the realization that Jenna must have seen Stefan and Katherine kissing at the Gilbert's home. Had Katherine been pretending to be Elena last night? Amelia hoped that was the case.

"Katherine, I'm not doing this with you." Stefan warned as Katherine popped a cherry in her mouth.

"Ugh, Stefan, you are so rude! You didn't even introduce me to Damon's witchy little girlfriend." Katherine turned to her, pouting. "Men," She scoffed. "No manners. Walk with me?" She told them.

"Just tell me what you're doing here." Stefan persuaded her.

"Maybe I missed you. Is that an acceptable reason?" Elena… No, Katherine flirted with Stefan. It was all so confusing.

"What game are you playing?" Stefan glared at her.

"Why, you want to play with me?" Katherine purred, moving closer to him.

"I don't know." Stefan shook his head. "How can I play if I don't know the rules?"

"No rules, Stefan, don't you remember?" She asked him coyly.

Amelia saw Damon and left them, wanting out of the confusing conversation.

"How're you doing?" Amelia asked him casually, leaning up against the post, trying to figure out what to tell him about her encounter with Katherine.

"Great, walking on sunshine, thanks for asking."

"Damon…" Amelia sighed.

"Amelia…" Damon mocked.

"Don't shut me out - we're close enough, now. I really want to know how you're doing." She insisted.

They were quiet for a minute.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said what I did." Damon said, looking off into the forest.

Amelia frowned. "Then why did you say it?"

"I don't know, Amelia, maybe because I'm a tad bit upset that you're pretending nothing happened last night!" He said harshly. "I kissed you. You kissed me back. Now you're acting like nothing happened."

Amelia groaned. "How am I suppose to act?! Any minute now you're going to go crawling back to Katherine and I'll be left sitting in your dust wondering what the hell happened!"

Damon pulled at his hair. "You're being so insecure! I care about you, okay? _You_, not Katherine. How do you think I'm doin'?"

Amelia paused, trying to think of something to say. "I think you're hurt."

"Hmm. Oh, I don't get hurt." Damon denied.

"No, you don't admit that you get hurt." Amelia said back, smartly. "You get angry and cover it up and then you do something stupid."

"You're scared." Damon realized. "You think Katherine's going to send me off the deep end, don't you? I don't need to hurt for that…" He said starting to walk away. "You know, why - why won't you talk to me about what we did last night?"

Amelia took a deep breath. "Because I know it wasn't real, Damon."

Damon clenched his teeth and nodded. He glanced away and raised his eyebrows before looking back at her. "Now I'm hurt." He said before turning and walking away.

Amelia watched him go sadly, wanting to call out to him, but her pride wouldn't let her. She finally caught up with Bonnie and the real Elena a few minutes later. She listened to Bonnie tell her terrifying encounter with Katherine before Bonnie left them to go find Stefan. When they finally found him, he was bleeding all over the lawn.

Elena cleaned him up. "Are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, it'll heal." Stefan said.

"That's not what I meant." Elena said.

"I was trying to figure her out. I was playing along, I let her get to me." Stefan explained.

Damon's smug voice appeared behind them. "I tried to track her, but, she's gone. Ooh, cover up, Fabio. We got a crazy ex on the loose. Better watch out, looks like Katherine's trying to steal your guy." Damon taunted the couple.

"That's not what's happening." Stefan denied.

"Isn't it? I mean, it's only fair since I have my own make out buddy now." He said winking at Amelia.

"Damon!" Amelia chastised him, turning red. "I'm not your make out buddy…" She mumbled.

"All right." Elena groaned, pulling Amelia away from them. "Let us know when you guys are done."

Amelia let her lead her away, but she was worried that Damon and Stefan would do something stupid. "You're awfully trusting of them." Amelia muttered to her.

Later that evening, Amelia and Elena were painting their nails together. Elena had finally given up on pestering her about Damon and his comment.

Amelia blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was looking into the Salvatore Boarding House. Damon was on the floor and Elena… No… Katherine? Was laying on top of him, her hand on his neck…

"My sweet, innocent, Damon…" Katherine said as she cuddled up to him.

Damon blurred as he flipped her onto the ground, his hand on her neck. There was a moment of violent tension before Damon shoved his lips to hers. Amelia watched in horror as they made out.

"That's more like it." Katherine purred before she blurred and shoved Damon against a wall, ripping his shirt off.

_Out, I gotta get out…_ Amelia thought frantically.

Damon and Katherine moaned as they kissed each other, their hands roaming each other's skin…

"Okay, wait, brief pause." Damon hesitated. Katherine looked at him, irritated, before shoving him off of her. Damon reached a hand towards her. "I have a question. Answer it, and it's back to fireworks and rocket's red glare." Damon said desperately. "Answer it right, and… I'll forget the last hundred and forty five years I've spent missing you. I'll forget… how much I loved you. I'll forget everything and we can start over." Damon promised her. "This can be our defining moment, because we have time." He said, moving towards her with his arms spread out wide, hopeful. "That's the beauty of eternity. I just need the truth, just once." Damon stroked her face, pleading with her.

Katherine closed her eyes and held out her hand. "Stop." She whispered. "I already know your question. And it's answer. The truth is… I've never loved you." Katherine told him coldly, shaking her head. "It was always Stefan." Katherine pushed his hand off her face and walked out of the Salvatore Boarding House as Damon stared where she had been tearfully, and heartbroken.

Amelia gasped as she was sucked back into her body and she was surprised to feel that her face was wet with tears.

Elena frowned. "Lia, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I-I-I just need to be alone for a minute." She said, slamming the bathroom door shut and climbing into the hot shower. Amelia felt so numb, she could barely feel the hot water hitting her cool, pale, skin.

She must have stood in there for at least a half an hour, unable to process what she had just seen, before Elena pounded on the door. "Amelia?! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm getting out now." She called back dully as she dried off and changed into a pair of Elena's comfy pajama pants and a tank top.

Elena observed her for a while, trying to get her to talk to her before she finally gave up and got in the shower herself.

Amelia focused on reading for her english assignment, not allowing herself to feel, when she felt the cool breeze of an open window flutter her hair. She held her breath as she realized Damon was sitting next to her.

"What're you doing here?" She asked him dully, trying not to care.

"Just doing my part of the neighborhood watch." He responded, equally dull.

"Thanks… for, um, looking out for us." She said obligatorily, feeling the need to be polite even though her heart felt like it had been ripped out and stampeded by elephants.

"That's me, your trusty bodyguard. Calm in a crisis." Damon said smoothly.

Amelia paused as she smelled alcohol on him. "Have you been drinking?"

Damon made a hand signal motioning that he had only had a little, but Amelia was pretty sure that he was drunk. "And you're upset. That's not a good combination." She stated.

"No, I'm not upset. Upset is an emotion specific to those who care." Damon lied.

"Come on, Damon, that's a lie. You care."

Damon looked at her, a passion in his eyes suddenly. "You're surprised that I'd care for you? You can't imagine that I'd choose you over Katherine?" He asked her.

"Damon…" She interjected.

"That what we've been doing here means something?" He continued, his voice rising in volume. "You're the liar, Amelia! There is something going on between the two of us, and you know it. And you're lying to me, and most of all, you're lying to yourself! I can prove it." He said standing up and moving close to her.

Damon leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Amelia shook her head, frustrated, and pushed him away. "No, Damon! Whatever was going on between us i-i-is over! I _saw_ what happened with you and Katherine, Damon, so don't… don't preach to me about liars!" She yelled at him, the hurt evident in her voice. "What's wrong with you?!"

Damon looked so downtrodden. "I'm sorry, Amelia, I'll do better next time." He tried to kiss her again and she backed away.

"No, no, no, Damon. I can't… I won't be your second choice." She said confidently, feeling horrible inside.

"Amelia, what's going on in here?" Jeremy stepped into the room at the same time Elena walked out of the bathroom.

"Nothing, Jeremy, it's ok. Just - just go back to bed." Amelia gestured to him, trying to back away from Damon, but he wouldn't allow her any space.

"No, it's not okay, Amelia. He wants to be a vampire." Damon said, getting a dangerous look in his eyes before speeding over and grabbing onto Jeremy's head with both hands.

"No, Damon, stop it!" Elena cried running over to him.

"You want to shut out the pain? It's the easiest thing in the world. The part of you that cares, it just goes away! All you have to do is flip the switch and snap!" Damon said darkly… dangerously before snapping Jeremy's neck and letting him fall to the floor.

"Damon!" Amelia yelled, tears of shock forming in her eyes.

"No!" Elena wailed, kneeling down next to her brother.

Amelia sank to her knees and heard Elena's cries, but they sounded like they were coming from under water. She made eye contact with Damon for what seemed like forever before he finally walked away.

She felt someone tugging on her arm. "Amelia! You have to save him, please, do something! You - you have to think up some - some spell, Amelia, please!" She begged her through her tears.

Amelia shook her head, panicking. "I-I don't know any."

Elena hugged Jeremy's chest and cried before suddenly sitting up and grabbing his hand. "Oh-oh, my God… John's ring…" She laughed in relief, pulling Amelia into a hug.

A while later, Stefan showed up. "He saw the ring, that's why he did it. He knew." Stefan tried to convince himself.

"He didn't see the ring." Elena denied, holding Jeremy's dead body.

"It's Katherine, she got under his skin. She undid everything that was good about him." Stefan paced.

"There's nothing good about him, Stefan, not anymore. He's decided what he wants. He doesn't want to feel - he want's to be hated. It's just easier that way. He got his wish. I hate him, Stefan!" Elena cried.

"Sh, I know, I know." Stefan crouched down next to her as she stroked Jeremy's hair.

Amelia flinched in surprise as Jeremy gasped and sat up. "Is he okay, Stefan, is he okay?" Elena asked frantically, hugging her brother tightly.

Stefan groped his face. "He's okay." He decided and a huge tension in the room was lifted. "Shh, you're okay."

"Damon killed me. Damon killed me." Jeremy repeated.

"Shh, you're okay." Elena said, holding him to her. "Oh, God." She cried in relief.


	26. S2 Chapter 2: Brave New World

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Two: Brave New World**

**February 27, 2010**

"Katherine looked just like you. It was freakish." Bonnie Bennett said to Elena Gilbert as she helped Amelia hang up a banner for the carnival.

Elena sighed. "She is my ancestor." She said as she scribbled something down on her clipboard. "Hey, I moved the student booth into the cafeteria."

"Your _vampire_ ancestor." Amelia emphasized. "And she didn't just resemble you like a family member would. She _was_ you."

Elena set down her bag of balloons. "I don't - I don't know. I can't explain it. Okay? It's creepy. It's all I got."

"Well, how do you know she's not still out there pretending to be you?" Bonnie asked her, straightening out some of the stuffed animal prizes at the booth.

"I don't, but, I could sit here and be tortured by the not knowing, or I could get these prizes to the ringtoss." Elena said practically, unpacking the animals.

"Well, have you talked to Damon since he killed Jeremy or - or tried to kill Jeremy?" Bonnie asked.

Amelia tensed up and ignored Bonnies stare. She was tolerating Bonnie's presence, but she hadn't forgiven her. "No, Bonnie, I haven't, and I won't, and I don't wanna talk about Damon or anything else that's vampire-related, okay?" Elena summed it up nicely for the both of them.

"What about you, Lia? Aren't you guys, like, dating?" Bonnie pried.

Amelia turned rigid. "No, Bonnie." And she walked away from them.

Amelia kept herself busy all day, flitting from one booth to the next. It was dark by the time she met back up with Elena and Bonnie. "The ringtoss is out of Bart and Homer dolls and Team Jacob tee's." Amelia informed them.

"Okay, I can grab some from the science club." Elena said. "Also, we lost a speaker from the karaoke booth."

"Hey, it's all good, Amelia, Elena. Take a beat. Look around. This is a huge success." Bonnie bragged cheerfully.

Amelia looked around and took in the sights of the happy carnival-goers, the sound of their laughter and the music, the smell of fried food and body odor…

"You mean, I can do more than just cause vampire havoc?" Elena teased.

"Go figure." Amelia smiled as the trio laughed.

"Hey, uh, Carter, right?" Elena called to a cute man who was helping out with one of the food booths. "You're with the carnival."

"That'd be me." Carter stepped towards them.

"Okay, great." Elena said.

"Wow, what you need, beautiful?" Carter asked Bonnie as she smiled shyly at him.

"Um, what do you know about karaoke speakers?" Bonnie giggled.

"Heh, why don't you show me the problem." Carter flirted with her.

"Yeah, Bonnie." Elena gestured towards him. "Show him the problem." She winked at her, teasingly.

"Okay, come on." Bonnie and Carter laughed together as they walked away.

Elena and Amelia parted ways. Amelia wandered the carnival for a few moments before she frowned as she saw Damon Salvatore walking over to Jeremy Gilbert. She observed them silently for a minute before she saw Damon grab onto Jeremy.

She jogged over to them and watched in satisfaction as Damon fell to his knees clutching at his head, groaning in pain. Amelia held him like that for a minute while she helped Jeremy up and slid his ring back on his finger for him. "You stay away from him, Damon." She commanded before finally releasing him.

Damon stood up painfully and glared at her, taunting Jeremy. "What, you need a girl to fight your battles for you?"

Amelia glared at him and he cringed away, afraid that she would give him another 'witchy migraine' as he liked to call it. She smirked at him in triumph and led Jeremy away.

She ended up hanging out with her science partner, Brandon for a little while. She was having fun talking to him, flirting with him… It helped get her mind off things. She was shocked back to reality when Damon Salvatore marched up to her and tried leading her away. "Amelia."

"What do you want, Damon?" Amelia asked, pushing away from him.

"I know I'm probably the last person you wanna see right now, but I need you to come with me." Damon said to her.

"Whatever it is, I'm not interested." Amelia glared at him.

"Yeah, I need you to come with me right _now_, Amelia." Damon emphasized.

Amelia wasn't sure what made her do it. Even though she felt so hurt and betrayed by him… harbored so much anger and frustration towards him for hurting Jeremy… she still trusted him and she knew that something must be very, very wrong.

She excused herself from Brandon and followed him to an empty classroom where they eventually met up with Elena and Stefan as Damon explained everything.

"How did this happen, hm?" Stefan asked, disbelieving.

"Well, I fed her blood, and Katherine obviously killed her, and 'A' plus 'B' equals…" Damon taunted.

"But why?" Elena questioned.

"Because Katherine is a manipulative, nasty little slut." Damon emphasized.

"You didn't think she was a slut the other night - did you Damon?" Amelia taunted as Stefan and Elena looked at them, confused.

"And she said, 'game on?' I mean, what does that even mean?" Elena eventually asked.

"It means she's playing dirty. She wants us to know." Damon informed them.

"But why Caroline?" Amelia groaned, rubbing her temples. "God, I can't believe this is happening. My sister is a vampire…"

"Well, she knew it would hurt you, Amelia." Stefan said. "She's obviously a little jealous of your's and Damon's… relationship…"

Amelia glared at him. "There is no relationship." She groaned, thinking about her poor sister, and realizing that this might be her fault. "Caroline must be completely out of her mind. She has no idea what's happening to her."

"Oh, I think she does." Damon disagreed. "All of my compulsion from the past started wearing off the minute she was in transition."

"We have to find her." Amelia stood up.

"Yep, and kill her." Damon agreed.

"You're not gonna kill Caroline." Amelia shook her head in disbelief, wondering why he would even suggest that.

"She knows who we are." Damon said. "She's officially a liability, we gotta get rid of her."

"Damon, she's my sister. Absolutely not!" Amelia exploded, accidentally sending a chair flying across the room in anger.

The three of them stared at her in surprise for a moment.

"Need I remind you of a tragic little story of a girl named Vicki Donovan? Yeah, Caroline, of all people, will not make it as a vampire. Her mother's a vampire hunter. Guys, come on. We all know how this story ends, so let's just flip to the last chapter and-." Damon tried to convince them, before he was interrupted.

"It's not an option, Damon." Elena confirmed.

"No? Your silence is deafening, Stefan. Wait, wasn't there a school carnival the night you killed Vicki?" Damon taunted Amelia. "Huh… talk about a town where history repeats itself." He looked back to Stefan. "You know I'm right."

"We're not gonna kill her." Stefan said as the three of them left Damon.

"It's the only way, Amelia, you'll see!" He called after her darkly.

Amelia trailed behind Stefan next to Elena. "You agree with Damon, don't you?" Elena called to him. "Stefan?"

Amelia flinched in surprise as he punched a metal booth, leaving a dent. "Stefan, hey!" Elena caught up with him.

"Damon's right. Not about what we should do. But about what's gonna happen." Stefan admitted. "Katherine all but signed Caroline's death sentence."

"No!" Amelia shook her head. "I won't let that happen. I'm going to take care of her."

"We can't let it end that way." Elena agreed. "She's doing this to me, isn't she?"

"Actually, she's doing it to me." Amelia said quietly, resting her head in her hands. "Come on, we have to find her before Damon does."

The trio searched, and searched, and searched for Caroline. "Where could she be?" Elena questioned. Stefan suddenly stopped and paused. "What is it? Do you hear her?"

"Where is she? Stefan?" Amelia asked.

"Blood. I can smell blood." Stefan said gravely as he took off jogging in that direction.

They came across the sight of Damon holding Caroline, who was a bloody mess, with a stake raised behind her back.

"Noooo!" Amelia shouted, raising her hands in front of her. Before she could react, Stefan had already pushed Damon away from Caroline.

"Stefan!" Damon spit out aggravated.

Elena attempted to comfort Caroline but she shoved her away. "Get away from me! You killed me!" Caroline cried.

"No, no, no, no, Caroline! That wasn't me - that was Katherine. You know that." Elena explained to her.

"No! Then why does she look like you?" She asked in disbelief. She turned to Amelia. "Why - why did she do this to me?!"

"Stefan, we gotta get her inside!" Amelia called to him.

"It's all right, Caroline, come with me." Stefan took her and began to lead her away.

"She will die. It's only a matter of time." Damon taunted.

"Yeah, maybe so, but it's not gonna happen tonight." Stefan replied, hovering over her protectively.

"Oh, yeah it is." Damon nodded his head gravely before he became a blur.

Amelia threw herself protectively in front of Caroline, her breathing heavy as she came face to face with Damon who had a stake raised towards her.

"Damon, she's my _sister_! If you want to kill her, you'll have to get through me first." Amelia said stubbornly as they made eye contact for a few moments.

Finally, he stepped away and lowered his stake. "Fine, whatever happens, it's on you." Damon said to her.

"We've gotta get her cleaned up." She heard Elena say from behind her.

Amelia was surprised to see Bonnie. "Caroline?" Bonnie asked, tentatively as she saw friend who's face was covered in blood.

"It's okay, come on." Stefan ushered Caroline.

"No… you're not. You can't - you can't be." Bonnie shook her head in disbelief before running towards Caroline and grabbing onto her arm, sensing that she was indeed a vampire.

"Bonnie, don't." Amelia whispered.

"Bonnie?" Caroline pleaded with her.

Bonnie ran over to the dumpster, seeing the dead body of Carter - the teenager she had been flirting with all night.

"Bonnie?" Caroline cried.

"Stefan." Amelia commanded, and then he was there, leading her away to get cleaned up.

"I can't believe this is happening." Bonnie admitted, sniffling.

"Come on, don't pout about it." Damon reappeared with a shovel in his hand. "We got a body to bury." He looked to Amelia. "Thought you were calling the shots?"

"Screw you, Damon." Amelia told him darkly.

"Hm, no?" Damon spoke to the dead body. "Sucks to be you, buddy."

Amelia watched confused as Damon fell to the ground, groaning in pain. She sensed magic, and she realized that Bonnie was hurting him. She didn't understand what was happening as a nearby watering hose sprayed Damon, soaking him.

"I told you what would happen if anyone else got hurt." Bonnie chided him.

"I didn't do this!" Damon yelled, groaning in pain.

"Bonnie, that's enough." Amelia said, her voice trembling, unsure.

"Bon, it wasn't his fault!" Elena agreed, louder.

"Everything that happens, is his fault, Elena! I should have watched him burn with the rest of the tomb vampires - and I would have if it weren't for you, Amelia!" Bonnie shouted.

"Bonnie… don't." Amelia shook her head, pleading with her.

Bonnie shook her head in disbelief. "How can you love a monster like him?"

Amelia felt her heart race as the long stream of water began to ignite.

"Bonnie, Bonnie, stop it!" Elena yelled from across the fire.

"Amelia, please… help me." Damon begged her, helpless, and vulnerable as he watched the fire come closer towards him.

"Grams would be so disappointed in you, Amelia." Bonnie told her heartlessly.

Amelia stood there, panicked, and frozen, unsure of what to do when suddenly the fire enveloped him. Damon rolled on the ground, screaming in pain.

Amelia panicked and did the only thing she could think to do. She sent a burst of power at Bonnie and watched in horror as she went flying, landing on the hard concrete.

The flames went out and Bonnie slowly stood up, painfully, glaring at Amelia.

"B-Bon, please, I'm sorry!" She called after her as Bonnie walked away, not glancing back at them.

Amelia hated herself as she ran over to Damon, worry and concern evident in her eyes. "Damon! Are you okay?"

Damon groaned and nodded, sitting up and wrapping his arms around her, soaking her as well. "Thank you." Damon whispered into her hair.

A while later, Amelia and Elena stood tensely by her locker as Stefan approached them. "Hey."

"Caroline is ok for now. I'm gonna check back in on her later." Stefan informed them.

Amelia released a sigh of relief as Elena asked, "But what about the guy that she…"

"It's taken care of." Stefan sighed.

"Damon's right. Isn't he? It won't end well for her." Elena admitted.

Amelia felt like strangling someone. "I swear to God, I'm going to stake the next person that agrees with Damon."

"I'm gonna make sure that he's wrong." Stefan comforted them.

"I just - I can't believe what this day has turned into." Elena groaned, running her hand through her hair stressfully.

"Not your normal day, huh?" Stefan asked her.

"I was stupid to think that it could be, I mean, nothing about my life is normal. My best friend's are witches. My boyfriend is a vampire. And, I have a doppelgänger who's hellbent on destroying all of us." Elena sighed.

Amelia nodded. "Well, I don't think I can stand anymore negativity tonight, so I'm gonna go home and watch over Caroline. Goodnight."

They both wished her goodnight as they watched her leave.

A little while later, Amelia found herself comforting Caroline in her room as she cried. They stayed up talking all night - something they hadn't done since they were little girls. Amelia told her about everything with Damon, and how she was a witch, and how sorry she was that she hadn't told her. Caroline told her all of her fears and worries, how Matt had just told her he loved her, and how she was so afraid that she'd hurt him, that she'd hurt _her_. How she was so worried about her future and about the insane bloodlust that drove her crazy every minute.

"I swear to you, Caroline, if it's the last thing I'll ever do - I'll always protect you."

**A/N: Aw :') sisterly moment with Caroline! Too bad Amelia and Damon are on the outs... Things will really start heating up with Damon and the Mikaelson's this season - promise! I'd love to hear your feedback! -TeamComrade11**


	27. S2 Chapter 3: Bad Moon Rising

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Three: Bad Moon Rising**

**February 28, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore had spent the last few days watching over Caroline. She had called Bonnie, and tried to get her to help her make a daylight ring for Caroline, but she had refused. Amelia was worried that she'd never be able to repair her relationship with Bonnie, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she stayed in 'caregiver mode' as her sister had called it.

There had been one close call where Care had lost control, but Amelia had been able to protect herself.

Amelia sat on one of the couches in the Salvatore Boarding House. "Thanks for coming, Ric." Damon Salvatore said, letting Alaric in. "You need something to drink? Coffee? Bourbon? Bourbon in your coffee?"

Amelia shook her head and glanced at Stefan and Elena who both looked slightly irritated across from her. "Amelia mentioned you needed my help." Alaric continued.

Alaric took a seat in one of the large comfy chairs, and Damon plopped down next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, we were, uh, hoping you could help shed some light on the Lockwood family." Stefan said. Amelia shoved Damon off her - pissed that he had tried to kill Caroline.

"Now why would I know anything about the Lockwood's?" Ric objected, leaning forward.

"Well, you wouldn't, but your dead - not dead - vampire wife might." Damon chimed in rudely.

"Damon…" Amelia scolded. "Isobel's research from when you guys were at Duke together-." Amelia started.

"You said that she had spent years researching this town." Stefan finished.

Alaric sighed. "Isobel's research here - Mystic Falls - was rooted in folklore and legend. At the time, I thought most of which was fiction."

"Like that amazing vampire story." Damon goaded.

"Aside from vampires," Elena paused, glancing at Amelia. "And witches, what else?"

"The lycanthrope." Alaric stated.

"Wait, like werewolves?" Elena asked, shifting in her seat.

"No way. Impossible. Way too Lon Chaney." Damon disagreed, sitting forward in his seat.

"Is it?" Amelia challenged. "Werewolf doesn't necessarily have to equate to 'Wolf Man.'"

Damon turned to her. "I've been on this planet one hundred and sixty some odd years - I've never come across one. If werewolves exist, where the hell are they?"

"Well, why do you suspect the Lockwood's?" Alaric interjected.

"Because vervain didn't effect the mayor on Founder's Day, but the Gilbert device did." Damon explained.

"And it effected Tyler - his son." Amelia chimed in quietly, thinking about how her sister had almost died.

"And at the school carnival, his uncle, Mason, exhibited inhuman behavior when he fought one of the carnival workers. It suggested some sort of a supernatural entity." Stefan said.

Elena leaned forward. "We were hoping that Isobel's research could help us figure out what it is."

Alaric crossed his legs. "Well, all of her things are still at Duke." He cleared his throat. "I mean, her office is still there. She's technically still missing."

"So can we get access to it?" Damon asked. He leaned forward, a more biting edge to his voice. "Ric, we need to know what we're dealing with. If this 'Wolf Man' thing is true, I've seen enough movies to know it's not good. It means that Mason Lockwood is a real-life Lon Chaney and that little Tyler punk may just very well be Lon Chaney Jr. Which means, Bela Lugosi, meaning me, is totally screwed." He ranted.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you from the big, bad wolf." Amelia joked, chuckling as he hit her with a pillow.

A little while later, Damon had managed to catch her alone. "Pretty please, won't you come with me?" Damon pouted at her, puppy-dog eyes and all.

Amelia frowned. "I don't know Damon… I really need to stay here and look after Caroline…"

Damon scoffed. "Stefan's already staying behind - I'm pretty sure he can handle a newbie vamp on his own."

She glared at him. "You know, what you did the other night to Jeremy wasn't cool."

Damon groaned and flopped down on the couch, laying his head in her lap. "I know, I know… The voices told me to do it…" He winked at her and she scoffed, trying to smother him with a pillow.

"What're you two doing?" Stefan's concerned voice echoed from the stairs.

Amelia pushed Damon onto the floor and he landed with an 'Oof!'

"Nothing." Amelia said quickly.

"Amelia was just telling me how much she's looking forward to our little road trip." Damon said as he stood up from the floor.

Half an hour later, Damon honked the horn of his car as the pair pulled up to the Gilbert's house where Stefan, Elena, and Alaric were. Amelia swallowed as she remembered what had happened the last time her and Damon had been on that porch…

"See ya, Jenna!" Amelia waved to her as she walked to the SUV.

"Bye, Lia! You need to visit me more!" Jenna called back, pouting.

Amelia chuckled, "Will do!"

"Sorry you can't come too, Stef." Damon taunted as Elena threw her bag in the SUV.

"Call me if you need anything." Stefan told the girls, making sure to look at Amelia as well.

"Oh I'll take really good care of them." Damon purred, winking at him.

Amelia looked away as Elena pulled Stefan into a kiss before Elena quickly hopped into the passenger seat. Elena gave Amelia a look, and she realized that Elena didn't want to sit by Damon.

"What? I don't do the back." Damon said petulantly as Amelia climbed in the back seat.

"I promise I don't bite… much." Amelia joked, buckling her seat belt.

"Ooh, kinky." Damon winked at her and climbed in next to her.

Amelia rolled her eyes but was willing to 'take one for the team' for Elena.

Alaric started the engine and they pulled away from the Gilbert home while Stefan watched them leave sullenly. Amelia pulled out her biology book and spent most of the ride studying. "How you doing up there?" Damon asked Elena. Elena stayed silent and Damon groaned. "You know, this whole pretending to hate me thing is getting a little silly."

Alaric scoffed. "I don't think she's pretending. You did kill her brother."

"There is a huge asterisk next to that statement. He came back to life." Damon coaxed, leaning up towards the front.

"Yeah, thanks to a ring that you didn't know he was wearing." Elena finally said, irritated.

"Why're you so sure I didn't know?"

"Did you?" Elena demanded.

"Yes." Damon drawled.

Elena paused for a moment before saying. "You're lying."

"Elena, I saw the ring! It's a big tacky thing. It's hard to miss." He said.

Amelia noticed Alaric playing with his ring self-consciously.

The group fell quiet again for a while as they listened to a current pop station. After a while, she felt a poke on her leg. She ignored it, concentrating on her figure of meiosis, but she felt it again. "What, Damon?" She sighed, not looking up. He poked her again, and this time she glared at him.

Damon pouted. "I'm bored."

Amelia scoffed. "Okay?" And she returned to her studying.

About a minute later, he did it again. Amelia became frustrated and the radio suddenly made a strange noise as it flipped through the stations. _"Oh you'd better _stop_ before you tear me all apart. You'd better _stop_ before you go and break my heart. Ooh you'd better _stop_." _Sam Brown sang through the radio.

All four of them were surprised. "Woah, that's freaky." Alaric said, changing the station as he glanced at the witch.

After a couple hours, Amelia finally put her book down and chatted with Damon until they pulled into the Duke campus. The bell was tolling as they got out of the car and stretched their legs. Amelia was impressed by the old, artfully structured buildings and the pretty shrubbery.

"So, Isobel was officially employed by the anthropology department given that most paranormal phenomena is rooted in folklore." Alaric explained as he led them into a building.

Amelia looked around in awe of he artifacts in the lobby. "Excuse me, hi, I'm Alaric Saltzman. I called earlier." Ric called out to a woman who was filing papers.

"Yes, of course." The pretty brunette responded. Amelia played with her talisman as she stepped forward and shook his hand. "I'm Vanessa Monroe, research assistant, comparative folklore." Vanessa's eyes paused on Amelia's neck and she shook her head. "Uh, let me just grab Isobel's keys."

"I'm sorry. These are my friends: Elena, Amelia, and Damon. I hope this isn't too much of an imposition." Alaric introduced them.

"Please, Isobel's office is right through there. Isobel was one of my first professors. I'm a grad student. She was brilliant. One of the reasons I went into folklore." She explained, rummaging through the work space before sitting on her desk. "I have to ask… um, has there been any news?"

"No, no, I'm afraid not." Alaric lied.

"It's right this way." Vanessa said, disappointed as she unlocked the office for them. Amelia frowned at the uneasy vibes she was reading from the girl, but she went into the office to explore. "I'll grab the light, feel free to look around." She advised as they split up. "It's fascinating isn't it?"

"Mhm." Damon agreed, playing with a skull. Amelia was browsing the books, trying to find a system to the chaos. "Where'd she go?"

Amelia frowned and turned around to see Vanessa pointing a crossbow at her. "What-." She gasped, hearing the trigger sound off and the arrow come shooting at her.

She held her breath and opened her eyes in surprise as she didn't feel any pain. Damon groaned in front of her, the arrow protruding from his chest as he fumbled down to the floor. "Damon!"

Amelia was vaguely aware of Alaric grabbing onto Vanessa and Elena running over to them. "Oh, my God! Are you okay?"

Alaric took Vanessa into a separate room and Amelia helped Damon up. "I-I-Damon, you shouldn't have."

Damon groaned. "I'm not just gonna let you die, Amelia." He bent over and held onto a desk, giving her a good view of his jean-clad ass. "Come on, I need you to pull it out." Amelia hesitated, looking at the arrow. "Pull it out. I can't reach it, Amelia…Just pull the damn thing out. _It hurts_." He emphasized.

Elena sighed and moved towards Damon. She gripped the arrow and pulled it out, rather roughly in Amelia's opinion. "Ooh! Ahh… I'm sensing some repressed anger." Damon groaned. Amelia winced, not liking that he was in pain, especially because of her. "Whoo, that bitch is dead." He said, turning around.

"Uh, you're not going to kill her." Elena objected.

"Watch me." Damon said, walking around her.

"You touch her and I swear I will never speak to you again." Elena said confidently.

"What makes you think that has any power over me? 'Cause I took an arrow in the back for your friend? You are severely overestimating yourself." Damon drawled, walking towards her.

"Right, I forgot that I was speaking to a psychotic mind who snaps and kills people impulsively. Fine, go ahead. Do whatever you want." Elena said, annoyed.

"You're trying to manipulate me." Damon realized, crinkling his forehead.

"If by 'manipulate' you mean tell the truth, okay, guilty."

Amelia grabbed Damon's arm. "Come on, guys. Let's just go find out what's going on. I assume she didn't try to shoot me 'just because.'"

The trio walked into the other room to see Vanessa sitting in a chair and Alaric looming over her. "Please! Ok, I freaked! All right, you would have done the same thing. It is not possible! Tha-that talisman has been missing for centuries! And if that girl was wearing it, that is not a good sign! A-and Katherine Pierce can't be alive. And Damon Salvatore died in 1864. Okay? I-I read Isobel's research." Vanessa ranted.

"Well, then you should know just how possible this is. You almost killed my best history student!" Alaric yelled.

Elena moved in closer to Vanessa. "I'm Elena Gilbert, Isobel's daughter, and a descendent of Katherine Pierce. This is Amelia Whitmore, a descendant of the Devereaux witch line. And this is Damon Salvatore who you just shot."

"I'd be _extra_ nice to me right now." Damon threatened.

"Look we need your help. Okay, we need to see all of Isobel's research, anything related to Mystic Falls." Elena coaxed.

Amelia interjected. "Why did you try to shoot me? What's so special about my talisman?"

Vanessa sighed and got up, walking into Isobel's office. They let her go warily, watching her. "That talisman belonged to a very old, very powerful witch. Legend said that this witch had one daughter, but was incapable of having any other children. So, she made an agreement with her evil sister that she would perform a spell to make her fertile, but, in return, she would take her first born."

Vanessa pulled out an ancient, dusty parchment. "The mother witch was distraught, but she agreed. So, she raised the daughter, but she began showing extreme signs of her powers. She couldn't control herself. So, she transferred the daughter's powers into this talisman - a temporary fix until her sister came to collect her debt…"

Amelia shook her head, confused. "Wait, wait, wait. That makes no sense. Why would the mother give up her daughter like that?"

Vanessa shook her head sadly. "I don't know. But _how_ did you get that necklace?"

"I… my mother gave it to me." Amelia said, confused.

"What info do you have on Katherine?" Elena interrupted.

Vanessa walked around them and pulled out a dusty box. "This box tracks Katherine's arrival to Mystic Falls in April of 1864." She said, setting it down in front of Elena. Amelia was feeling fairly annoyed towards Elena. She walked away and found herself standing near Damon as he messed with the skulls again.

"Is that all there is about her?" Elena frowned, her voice trailing off as Amelia moved further away.

"Nope! Not at all." Damon called out loudly.

Amelia frowned, not understanding.

"No, that would be creepy!" Damon whispered loudly.

A moment later, he turned around. "You know, if you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask."

Amelia elbowed him. "No. That, he can't do." Elena called out, annoyed. "He _is_ very capable of being a first rate jackass."

Damon grimaced as he went back to snooping through the office. Amelia shook her head, not bothering to ask what they were all talking about.

A little while later, Amelia was helping Elena rummage through the box when Damon came over to them. "Any luck?" He asked putting his arms around Amelia from behind.

Amelia frowned and pushed away from him. "There's nothing in here about Katherine that we don't already know." Elena sighed, frustrated.

"Ah, man, you know, it's a bummer we're not friends anymore, because I can tell you what I know." Damon said dramatically.

"Now who's manipulating who?" Elena demanded, setting the book down harshly.

Alaric interrupted them. "Hey, guys. Check this out."

"There's no record of werewolf mythology in Mystic Falls, but here are some records of some of the lesser known legends." Vanessa read off a word in some foreign language that she didn't recognize. "Which roughly translates into The Curse of the Sun and the Moon."

"It's Native American." Alaric realized.

"Aztec." Vanessa clarified. "It explains one origin of the werewolf curse traced through Virginia. The short story - six hundred years ago, the Aztecs were plagues by werewolves and vampires. They terrorized the countryside, made farming and hunting impossible. Until, an Aztec shaman cursed them, making vampires slaves to the sun and werewolves servants of the moon. As a result,vampires could only prowl at night, and werewolves could only turn on a full moon. When the full moon crests in the sky, whoever's unlucky enough fall under the werewolf curse turns into a wolf."

"Can they control the transformation?" Damon asked practically.

"If it were a choice, it wouldn't be called a curse. Werewolves will attack humans, but instinct and centuries of rivalry have hardwired them to hunt their prey of choice - vampires."

They were all silent for a moment. "Well, if werewolves are hunting vampires, I would know about it." Damon said arrogantly.

"Not if there weren't that many werewolves left alive. Hundreds of years ago, vampires hunted them almost to extinction." Vanessa explained.

"Why would they do that?" Elena asked.

"To protect themselves." Amelia chimed in.

"Legend has it that a werewolf bite is fatal to vampires." Vanessa said, looking at Damon.

"Ooh." Damon grimaced.

Amelia's eyes widened. "We have to warn Caroline and Stefan!"

Elena pulled out her phone and called Stefan, telling him what they had learned. "I don't know what it means, or if we should even believe it, but it's a full moon, Stefan and after what you saw Mason Lockwood do-."

Stefan must have cut her off, saying something.

"There's one more thing." There was a pause. "According to the legend, a werewolf bite can kill a vampire." Another brief pause. "Okay."

Amelia felt a bit more calm, but she still wanted to get back to Mystic Falls and make sure Caroline was okay. Unfortunately, Elena was not yet satisfied. Elena was rummaging through the 'Katherine box' again, and pulled out a picture of her. "Hey, have you done any research on doppelgängers?"

"Well, the word means a lot of different things to different cultures. But, typically, a doppelgänger is a living, breathing double of oneself." Vanessa said.

"Did Isobel have anything that'd explain the link between me and Katherine?" Elena inquired.

"That's all she had on Katherine, unfortunately." Vanessa told her.

Elena noticed Damon was looking at her and she glanced back at him. Damon turned away and shut his book.

"But, I can tell you that doppelgängers usually torment the people they look like, trying to undo their lives. It's not exactly up-lifting." Vanessa explained.

"And more things we already know." Elena sighed. "Just - I wanna know why we look alike."

"Head-scratcher, isn't it?" Damon asked, leaning against the bookcase casually.

"Do you know something, or are you just being yourself?" Elena asked, irritated.

"Well, 'if' I know anything, I'm not going to tell you, not with that attitude." Damon taunted.

"That's good, Damon. And that's coming from someone who wants to be my friend. But you know what? Friends don't manipulate friends. They help each other." Elena glared at him.

Finally, they were loading up in the car. Alaric was talking to Vanessa while Damon, Elena, and Amelia loaded up. Elena pulled on the locked door handle, annoyed.

"Here, allow me." Damon said, the car beeping as he unlocked it. He opened the door for her. "You're not going to be able to hate me forever."

"Can we just go?" Elena asked.

Amelia got into the car, not one to be around for arguments.

"You didn't dig deep enough." Damon told her, handing her a book.

"Petrova?" Elena read. "I saw this on the shelf."

"Katherine originally came from Europe. Petrova was her real name. Katerina Petrova to be exact." Damon informed her.

"How did you know that?" Elena asked, confused.

"Back when, I saw it engraved on an old heirloom. Men snoop, too, you know." Damon smirked at her. "Let me know what you find. Very curious myself." Elena moved to get into the car, but Damon stopped her. "You have every right to hate me. I understand. You hated me before and we became friends. It would suck if that was gone forever. So… is it? Have I lost you forever?" Damon smirked, joking, but also concerned.

"Thank you for the book, Damon." Elena replied, not answering his question. She climbed into the passenger seat and he shut the door for her, climbing in the back.

It was a long drive back to Mystic Falls. Eventually, Amelia fell asleep, her head on Damon's shoulder and his jacket around her like a blanket. Elena glanced at them in the rearview mirror, frowning.

"Hey, we're home." Damon told her gently, waking her up.

Amelia sat up groggily, embarrassed that she had fallen asleep on him.

"Don't worry, you only drooled a little." He winked at her and she blushed, knowing that she probably actually had.

Amelia went and sat on the porch bench as she waited for Damon to take her home. "Road trips work well for us." Damon called to Elena.

"This doesn't mean that things are back to the way they used to be, Damon." Elena sighed.

"Oh, come on. I know I chipped a little bit off of your wall of hatred." Damon goaded while she went to unlock her front door.

Elena turned around to face him. "I need to know the truth. When you broke Jeremy's neck, did you know that he was wearing the ring?"

Damon seemed to be considering what to say before he reluctantly said, "No. No, I didn't. Katherine really pissed me off, and I-I snapped and… I got lucky with the ring. And I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't wearing it. Elena, I'm sorry." Damon said genuinely.

"Thank you for being honest with me. And the answer to your question about our friendship… is yes. You have lost me forever." Elena said coldly.

"You knew that already, didn't you? You used me today." Damon grimaced, feeling hurt.

"You had information about Katherine that I needed to know." Elena stated.

"I thought friends don't manipulate friends… You and Katherine have a _lot_ more in common than just your looks." Damon said quietly before glancing at Amelia.

Amelia stood up and climbed into Damon's car as Elena watched them go, uneasy. They drove silently to the Forbes' home. When he pulled in her driveway, he turned the engine off and they sat quietly.

"This probably isn't the best time to bring this up, but I've just been so frustrated." Amelia admitted, tugging at her sweatshirt sleeves. She didn't look to see if Damon was listening to her, feeling shy. "At Elena's house, when you came over, drunk… I-I had seen a vision of you… and Katherine. I saw it all, Damon. And I just… I can't do it anymore. I'm still your friend… but don't expect anything more." She said, staring at her lap before climbing out of his car. "Thanks for the ride." She muttered.

She climbed up the stairs to her bedroom, feeling downtrodden. She passed by Caroline's room and paused before knocking softly. "Care Bear?" She peeked her head in the room to see Caroline sitting on her bed, her head in her hands and sobs racking through her body. "Oh, Care." Amelia said and hurriedly sat down next to her sister, putting an arm around her.

Caroline cried even harder and looked up at her. Amelia felt her eyes widen as she took in the blood on her face. "I-did you-what happened?" She stuttered.

Caroline explained to her how a wolf had attacked them, and how she had accidentally fed on Matt when he was bleeding. How the wolf had terrified her, and how she thought her and Matt were over. "I-I can't be with him - I j-just can't control myself!" She cried.

"Oh, Care… It'll be okay. You'll learn to control it." Amelia soothed.

Caroline pushed her away angrily and she went flying across the room, landing hard against the wall. Amelia tried to sit up, but fell back down. The ceiling was moving and she was seeing stars. "Oh, my God, Amelia! I'm so sorry - I didn't mean to! Are you okay?! Oh, my God what do I do?!" Caroline yelled, hovering over her sister.

She wheezed, tasting something metallic in her mouth. She tried to talk to her, but she couldn't make her mouth move. The room went black and when she regained consciousness, Stefan Salvatore's face was right in front of her. His mouth was moving but whatever he was saying sounded distorted.

She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut - the light hurting them. She opened her eyes again when she felt warm, strong hands shaking her gently. "Amelia? Amelia! Come on, there you go." Damon Salvatore said.

"Is she gonna be okay? I mean, she's gonna be okay right?!" Caroline fretted from across the room.

Amelia's head was throbbing. "I'm fine." She slurred. She frowned, her voice sounding funny to her. She tried to sit up, but Damon held her down.

Damon was looking at her worriedly and he bit into his wrist, not asking anybody permission. "No…" She moaned, trying to squirm away from him.

He pressed his wrist to her mouth. "No, come on." Damon said sternly, forcing her to drink.

Amelia coughed, feeling repulsed by the blood. What if she had a stroke and died in her sleep or something? She couldn't be a vampire.

Finally, Damon released her and helped her sit up.

She felt much better every second. She reached back to feel her head gingerly, feeling the blood that caked her hair. She grimaced and glanced behind her, noticing the alarmingly large blood stain that smeared across the wall where her head had hit and she had slid down.

Caroline blurred at her from across the room and she flinched as she threw her tiny arms around her. "Oh, Amelia, I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me!"

Amelia rubbed her back soothingly. "Care, I don't hate you. I'm fine, really. I-I would have healed on my own anyway."

Damon looked like he was about to disagree with that statement, but Amelia glared at him. She was thankful when he only glared back and didn't say anything.

Stefan approached her. "It's been a long day." He sighed, glancing at Caroline. "I'm going to go check on Elena. You guys good here?"

Amelia nodded. "Yeah, thanks for coming." She muttered, embarrassed.

"Take it easy, Caroline. You have to be careful. Amelia can heal, but she's still much more fragile than we are." Stefan advised.

Caroline nodded tearfully and he disappeared. "Oh, look at this mess!" She groaned.

Damon glared at her. "Well, Barbie, there wouldn't _be_ a mess if you didn't almost kill your sister."

"Damon, don't." Amelia warned. She closed her eyes and focused on an incantation that Sheila had taught her. She raised her hand to the wall, and murmured the incantation quietly, feeling the warmth of magic fill her body. When she opened her eyes, if she didn't still feel sore, and bloodstained, she would have thought nothing had ever happened.

Caroline played with her lapis lazuli ring and looked at Amelia in wonder. "Woah. That is like super freaky."

Amelia's head was killing her and she was feeling tongue-tied so she avoided their eyes and took a shower. The amount of blood that ran down the drain from her hair was rather alarming as she gingerly rinsed the shampoo out of it.

She walked into her room in her towel and flinched in surprise to see that Damon was casually laying on her bed. Amelia focused on not blushing as he looked her up and down. She was expecting an innuendo when he said, "How're you feeling?" The look of concern on his face made her defensiveness fall away.

She sighed and grabbed a pair of pajamas from her drawer. "Like my vampire sister threw me into a wall." Her eyes lingered on her pale legs.

"Even without the head wound, you would probably have a headache from the blood." He informed her, handing her a glass of water and two tablets of some sort of pain-killer she assumed.

"Thanks." She grimaced, taking the pills and finishing off the small glass. She took her clothes back into the bathroom and changed quickly. Her pants were black with pink and white hearts and the top was a matching hoody. It was her favorite - she loved how soft the fabric was. She towel dried her hair until it was damp before heading back into her bedroom.

She pulled out her laptop and went to sit next to Damon on her bed. She popped in the movie 'The Breakfast Club.'

"Cute pjs." Damon smirked at her. "Isn't this movie a little before your time?"

Amelia scoffed. "So? You're a little before my time, too."

Damon was silent as she fast-forwarded through the commercials. She watched, captivated, as the narrator introduced the characters even though she had seen it a hundred times. Damon could swear that she was mouthing her favorite lines.

The pair laughed and chatted throughout the movie. Damon - making fun of the characters, and Amelia - pointing out their strengths.

"See, Allison, right? She's kinda crazy and a compulsive liar, but she stands up for Claire - a girl she just met! She won't let John make fun of her." Amelia argued, pointing to her on the screen.

Damon shifted his arm around her and sighed. "You're too naive, Amelia. You see the good in people that isn't there." He said, thinking about the other night when he had made out with Katherine and killed Jeremy.

Amelia frowned and paused the movie, squirming to look at him. "Don't make me give you a 'witchy migraine.' There is good in you, you're just afraid to show it." She poked him in the stomach before un-pausing and giving him time to process her comment.

Damon was silent as he watched her fight sleep for almost a half an hour. He shut the laptop and set it on her nightstand, careful not to wake her up. He observed her steady breathing as she drooled on his shoulder, lost in dreamland.

_The woman with long golden hair brushed her hair soothingly. She was dressed in a beautiful ancient-looking dress, while Amelia was in the pajamas she had fallen asleep in. "Who are you?" She questioned, already knowing the answer._

_The woman frowned, pausing her ministrations. "I've told you, love, I'm your mother."_

_Amelia shook her head. She wouldn't believe it - couldn't. "No, my mother was Marcella Devereaux Whitmore."_

_The woman resumed her brushing, a small, knowing smile on her face. "That woman was not your mother. She merely raised you for a few years while we were apart. It shall not be much longer now, and we shall be together again, my dear daughter." Her mother lifted Amelia's talisman a few inches from her chest, observing it. "I apologize for having to confine your abilities. I shall remedy that soon."_

_Amelia frowned, trying to process the information._

_"Goodbye, for now, darling." Esther kissed her on the forehead before ending the vision, sending her daughter back into her dreams. _

**A/N: ! **


	28. S2 Chapter 4: Memory Lane

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Four: Memory Lane**

**March 4, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore and Elena Gilbert were working on their english project together at The Grill when Damon Salvatore slid in the seat next to them, looking handsome in a causal, black teeshirt. Elena sighed. "What do you want?"

"So, this is where you spend your time when you're not stabbing people in the back." Damon said casually, looking around the room.

"I tricked you into telling me the truth - that's not stabbing you in the back." Elena disagreed. "That's using your own tactics against you."

Amelia sipped on her water. "She has a point, Damon. She didn't stab you in the back… she just played on your emotions until you gave her the information she needed before she tossed you out like garbage… So, yeah!" She said, in a falsely cheerful tone, giving Elena a snide look, not liking what she had done to him.

Elena glared at both of them before putting her book in her bag. "Where are you going?" Amelia asked, irritated. They were supposed to be working on their project.

Elena turned to him. "I made myself clear. Damon, I want nothing to do with you." She said before walking a few feet away.

Damon stole one of Amelia's fries and she tried to smack his hand, but he pulled it back too fast. "Okay, see you at Jenna's barbecue." He called to Elena casually.

Elena paused and turned around. "How did you know about Jenna's barbecue?"

"It was his idea." Amelia told her, grabbing a handful of fries.

"Jenna went to high school with Mason Lockwood, so I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So, I told Rick to tell Jenna, and-." Damon explained before he was cut off.

"Does Jenna know that you're going to be there because she's not exactly a fan of yours." Elena said, trying to convince him not to go.

Amelia frowned. "I still don't think this is a good idea Damon - we need to be careful. We have no idea what he's capable of." She advised.

Just then, a waitress walked over to them and handed Damon a delicious smelling box. "Finally!" He smiled happily. "I'm hoping this peach cobbler will pave the way." He said, standing up.

"What are you up to?" Elena questioned.

"Being stupid as usual." Amelia rolled her eyes.

Damon gave her a look and said. "I'm gonna go put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he's a werewolf." He murmured seriously to her before grinning. "See you at the barbecue!"

Elena sighed and sat back down to work on their project at Amelia's insistence. "Why're you guys so buddy-buddy, anyway? You know he's totally obsessed with Katherine, even if he denies it." She chided.

"We're just friends, Elena." Amelia said monotonously, flipping through her book.

"How can you be friends with him? He's a vampire! A murderer." She said covertly, making sure no one could hear them.

Amelia frowned at her judgmental tone and spun around in her seat looking at Elena, making sure she had her full attention. "My sister is a vampire too - a murderer as Bonnie is so keen to point out and I still love her. Stefan certainly isn't a saint just because he feeds on animals. Can you honestly say that you're a hundred percent sure he hasn't killed an innocent human in the century and a half that he existed before you knew him?"

Elena was quiet and that made Amelia continue. "Besides, when you look at nature, this isn't really much different. We hunt organisms that are lower than us in the food chain and so do vampires. The only difference is that we're their choice of prey and we're just not used to that. We kill for sport too, just like vampires. Those stuffed bear heads at your parents cabin? Killed for sport."

"God, Amelia, how can you be so heartless?! This is our families, our friends you're talking about. Damon _killed_ Jeremy, and he would've killed Caroline too if you hadn't stopped him!" Elena whispered angrily, gesturing in the air with her hands.

Amelia thought about Matt Donovan and his loneliness as he tried to make ends meet at his home, abandoned by his mother. She thought about Amber Bradley who never got to compete in the Miss Mystic Falls pageant because Stefan had attacked her and nearly killed her. She thought about Damon Salvatore who had loved someone with all his heart only to be tricked and betrayed time and time again. She thought about the guilt that she constantly carried around inside of her for killing Vicki Donovan, and getting Sheila Bennett killed. She thought about her father who had been mutilated on Christmas Eve and her mother who had neglected her for several years before killing herself in front of her. She thought about the months she had spent in foster care. The cruel hands that had harmed her, the words that had threatened her: _If you tell, no one will believe you. They'll call you a liar and no one will ever adopt you. _She thought about Liz Forbes, a single mother who had loved her husband with all her heart, but couldn't offer him what he really needed.

"Death is easy, Elena. Living is harder." She said, packing up her things and leaving a bill on the table to pay for her food. "Come on, let's go help Jenna set up for the barbecue."

Elena followed her out, frowning. "You're going too?"

"Yeah, Jenna invited me. I haven't gotten to spend anytime with her lately." Amelia explained, waiting for Elena to climb into Sheila's car with her before she started the car.

They were quiet during the short drive. When they arrived, Jenna gave her a big hug and the trio made small talk while they set out food.

"Thanks for letting me invite Caroline. She could use a day of distraction." Elena thanked Jenna.

"She's not the plus one I'm worried about. Why is Damon coming?" Jenna asked, leaning her elbows on the counter.

Elena gave Amelia a look. "Because he's obsessed with her."

"Just friends!" Amelia reminded her, glaring. "Come on, Jenna, be nice."

Jenna scoffed. "You guys didn't seem like 'just friends.' He's always touching you." She commented.

"He's just an affectionate person. I think his mother didn't hug him enough as a child." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Ahh, good news. Found the shot glasses!" A very handsome, honey-brown haired man came into the room, holding up a bottle of liquor and, indeed, shot glasses.

"And that would be my exit." Elena said, leaving the room.

Amelia looked at Jenna questioningly. "Oh, right! This is Amelia Whitmore, Sheriff Forbes's, uh… daughter." Jenna introduced, awkwardly. "Amelia, this is Mason Lockwood - we went to high school together."

Mason set down the liquor, reaching out his hand for her to shake. Amelia was confused at the image of a milky white stone that flashed through her mind as she touched him, but hid her confusion. "It's a pleasure to meet you - Tyler used to talk about you all the time." He said.

Amelia gave him a small smile, thinking about when they used to date. "I feel like I know you already from how much Ty used to talk about you. You were his hero." She told him.

"Ah, well, those are pretty big shoes to fill…" He trailed off.

"I'm here ten minutes and already I'm back under the bleachers at the pep rally." Jenna interjected.

Mason threw an arm around Jenna. "It's just like old times, huh?" Jenna and Amelia chuckled. "Only I didn't swipe this bottle from my old man."

Alaric walked in, carrying a tray of food. "Oh, the expensive stuff. I like you already." He joked.

"Just happy to be invited." Mason smiled.

"Thank Ric, this was his idea." Jenna said.

"Really?" Mason asked, pouring shot glasses.

"Yeah, well, you know. I thought it'd be nice to meet some of Jenna's old high school friends. Dig up a little dirt." Alaric grinned.

"Oh, I've got dirt. I've got dirt." Mason laughed.

"I have no secrets, only dirty shame." Jenna responded.

Mason, Alaric, and Jenna clinked glasses. "To dirty shame!" Alaric cheered.

"Cheers." Mason responded. "Sorry, Amelia, you'll have to be a little bit taller to do shots with the grownups." He winked at her, throwing his arm around her.

Just then, Damon walked around the corner, his gaze on Mason's arm around her. Amelia pouted. "No fair, I've been five foot six for, like, four years!" She protested.

"Hey." Damon smiled, falsely, greeting them.

The groups laughter died down. "Damon." Jenna stated, the smile falling off her face.

"We were just doing shots. Let me get you a shot glass, buddy." Alaric saved the day, rummaging through a drawer.

Before he could find one, Jenna downed hers and handed it to him. "Here, use mine." She said before strutting away.

Amelia pulled away from Mason uncomfortably and stood a little closer to Damon. "She doesn't like me very much." Damon whispered to Mason.

"We haven't met. Mason Lockwood." Mason said, holding his hand out for Damon to shake.

"Oh, sure. Hey, Damon Salvatore." Damon replied, amicably shaking his hand.

"I know. I've heard great things about you." Mason responded.

Amelia took a handful of chips. "Really? That's weird. 'Cause he's a dick." She whispered playfully as Damon elbowed her.

"Amelia?" Jenna called from the kitchen. "Can you let the girls know the food's ready?"

"Sure!" Amelia went out to the porch, seeing Caroline and Elena chatting. Elena seemed a little perturbed. "Food's done!" She called, before heading back into the house.

The barbecue was going smoothly as Damon put on his act, trying to wow the crowd. He sweet talked Jenna, and chatted with Mason charmingly.

Amelia spent the time on edge, waiting for Damon to strike.

Amelia sat down on one of the love seats and Mason Lockwood sat down next to her momentarily, giving her a smile. The group argued on what game to play before deciding on a game similar to charades, but the person had to draw out the picture instead of acting the words. It was Damon's turn, and he had drawn some sort of a dog in a tutu with musical notes around it.

"Dress! Ballerina!" Jenna called out.

"Puppy! Puppy! Puppy with a tutu!" Caroline guessed excitedly.

"No!" Damon said, frustrated, turning to draw more.

"Dog! Dog! Hound dog!" Jenna guessed.

"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog?" Amelia guessed.

"Dances with Wolves." Mason said confidently. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Mason wins… again." Damon called out, the marker between his teeth muffling his words.

"How is that a wolf?" Jenna protested.

"Definitely a dog in a tutu." Amelia agreed.

Damon glared at her and gestured for her to follow him and Elena into the kitchen. When she arrived, Elena was taking out a pie. "Aunt Jenna's getting tipsy." Damon said smugly.

"Will you stop plying her with alcohol?" Elena asked, irritated.

"I want her to like me." Damon responded.

"How's Operation Lockwood?" Elena asked.

Amelia looked around, making sure no one else was around. She still didn't think they should be talking about it out in the open. For all they knew, werewolves could have supernatural hearing as well as vampires.

"He's my new BFF." Damon whispered in her ear, causing her to move away from him.

"There you are. Isn't this fun?" Jenna asked them, and Amelia realized that she was indeed tipsy.

"Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." Damon said, putting on his charming facade.

"Did I have a choice?" Jenna said rudely.

"I know what you must think about me." Damon leaned closer to her.

"No, you don't. You've never dated you. I have dated many you's. And I will not let you hurt Amelia." Jenna warned him.

"Jenna," Amelia groaned. "I told you, there's nothing going on."

"She's right." Damon agreed. "I'm a work in progress." He admitted.

Elena handed Jenna a silver pie spatula.

"Ooh!" Damon said, spotting the silver and heading over to the set. "These are fancy."

"Thanks. My mother's silver set." Jenna explained.

Damon winked at Amelia and Elena as he took a silver knife and tucked it away.

Amelia went and sat down at the table next to Alaric. A moment later, Damon came over, the silver pie spatula sticking out of the pie that he set down in front of Mason. "Mason, why don't you start us off?"

Amelia watched him attentively as he avoided the handle and scooped up a piece of pie with his hands, strangely. She shared a look with Alaric. "Oh, what? I apologize. I'm an animal." Mason joked.

"Hmm." Damon chuckled, sitting next to Amelia.

"So, Mason, you and, uh, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric asked, changing the subject.

Mason chewed on his bite of pie and shook his head. "She was always lost in Logan Fell-land."

"Oh, my first mistake." Jenna said, handing out coffee to everyone. Amelia shook her head, never really being one to enjoy the taste. "Mason was a catch. He had girls lining up."

"Really? Huh, I always pegged you for a lone wolf." Damon hinted boldly.

Amelia stomped on his foot and Damon grimaced in pain. "Oh, I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason responded smoothly.

Amelia immediately went on high alert. There was no way Mason didn't have a double meaning to that.

Jenna also handed out beer, not giving one to Amelia. "How about a toast? To new friends?" Mason said charmingly.

The group clinked their bottles together and agreed, "Cheers," echoing throughout the room.

Amelia frowned. "Where'd Elena and Caroline go?"

"Oh, she said they were going to check in on Stefan." Jenna told her.

"Wow, I totally got ditched." Amelia realized glumly.

Mason winked at her. "Don't worry, you've still got us."

A little while later, Amelia and Damon were doing dishes when Mason walked in. "Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero. It might be time to mutiny." He joked.

"What?!" Amelia exclaimed. "I love Guitar Hero!"

Damon smirked at Mason. "You heard the lady. So, you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree."

"Okay, enough with the innuendos. You win, you're hilarious." Mason said, shaking his head.

Amelia felt her heart speed up, nervous of where this was going to lead to. Mason had basically just acknowledged that he was a werewolf.

"Thank you." Damon said.

"Come on, man, you don't think I know what this barbecue is about?" Mason asked, leaning in closer to him.

"How do you know about me?" Damon demanded. "Your brother was completely clueless."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not your enemy, Damon. You're friends with a witch - interspecies peace is possible." Mason said, looking at Amelia.

"You tried to kill my brother." Damon raised his eyebrows at him.

"That was a mistake!" Mason objected.

"Really?" Damon stated, disbelieving.

"There was confusion. I couldn't chain myself up in time. I have no control once I shift." Mason explained logically.

"Aw, what, no obedience school?" Damon taunted.

"Damon, stop. We should hear him out." Amelia objected.

"I'm serious. Let's not spark some age-old feud that doesn't apply to us." Mason pleaded, leaning against the counter.

"You expect me to believe that you're in Mystic Falls planting peace trees?" Damon scoffed.

Mason shook his head. "I lost my brother. My nephew lost his father. I'm here for my family. Let's be above this."

Amelia held her breath as Mason reached his hand out for Damon to shake. Damon glanced down at his hand and finally shook it.

Not much later, Mason said his goodbyes. Damon quickly jumped on the opportunity and he put on his facade. Jenna was starting to warm up to him again. Amelia followed him out, worried he'd do something stupid.

She felt her phone vibrate and she pulled it out of her pocket.

Care Bear: come hang with me at the grill? bad day :(

Amelia frowned and looked up, noticing that Damon was now no where in sight. She sighed, knowing that she had done all she could do

A few minutes later, she walked into The Grill and Caroline gave her a grateful look as she approached. She noticed that Damon was actually sitting up at the bar and he tried to wave her over. Amelia shook her head and he pouted, watching as she walked over and sat in the booth next to Caroline.

Amelia smiled at her sister. "Hey, Care, what's up?"

Caroline seemed to be looking at something behind her so she glanced over her shoulder and saw Elena and Stefan walk in together. "Elena!" Caroline called.

Elena and Stefan paused at the table. Amelia frowned, feeling a little miffed that she was blowing her off for Elena. "Hey." Elena said somewhat glumly. Stefan lightly touched Elena on the shoulder before leaving the girls to talk.

"Oh, my God. I am so sorry about earlier today. I don't - I don't know what came over me!" Caroline apologized shaking her head.

Amelia wondered what she was talking about. "It's okay, Caroline, everything that you were saying was right. It's just… hard for me to hear, you know?" Elena said.

Amelia narrowed her eyebrows, sensing untruthfulness coming off of her in waves.

"So, you're not mad at me?" Caroline asked insecurely.

Elena shrugged. "You were just being a good friend… in your own way."

Caroline chuckled. "My own head-case, _horrible_ way." She emphasized.

Elena began to walk away and Caroline called back to her, "Elena!" Elena paused, turning around halfway. "I really am sorry." Caroline emphasized.

Amelia turned to Caroline as Elena walked over and sat with Stefan while he complained about how hungry he was. "Okay, spill. What happened?" Caroline was too busy staring at Stefan and Elena to respond. Elena made a comment about Stefan spending the day with his ex, and she wondered what the deal behind that was. Amelia huffed and snapped her fingers in Caroline's face. "Hello?"

Caroline pushed her hand away. "Not now, Lia, I'll explain later."

Amelia glanced over at Stefan and Elena as well. "If Katherine had her way, we'd be breaking up right now." Elena told Stefan, irritated.

Stefan shook his head. "And if today taught me anything, it's that Katherine's used to getting her way."

Elena leaned back, raising her eyebrows. "You're not actually saying that we should do what she says?" Her speech sounded stilted, rehearsed almost to Amelia.

Stefan looked away from her. "Listen, she's sadistic, okay? She threatened you. She threatened everyone." He emphasized.

"Yeah, I know, I get it, okay? She's dangerous. But everyday that we're together… it's dangerous. Why're you giving her so much power over our relationship?" Elena argued, lowering her voice.

Stefan sighed. "Because it's the reality of our situation." He threw his hands up in the air.

"Well, reality sucks." Elena said, annoyed. "This is what she wants. She wants us to fight. She wants to get between us."

Stefan sighed into his hands before turning to look at her. "She already has, Elena."

Elena looked hurt and she nodded her head, gathered her things, and left The Grill.

Amelia stood up to go talk to her, but Caroline grasped her wrist hard. "Ow, Caroline, you're hurting me!" She murmured to her, thinking about what had happened last time she had forgotten her strength.

Caroline pulled her hand away. "Sorry."

Amelia rubbed her sore wrist and flinched as Damon put his hand on her shoulder. Caroline glared at Damon and spoke to Amelia. "You should give Elena some time - I doubt she wants to talk to anyone right now."

Amelia hesitated before nodding, feeling deep suspicion in her gut.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Damon murmured in her ear.

Amelia nodded, giving Caroline a small smile. "I'll see you later."

Caroline smiled back at her and watched Damon follow Amelia outside.

"Listen, Amelia-." Damon started, grasping her shoulder to turn her around to face him.

"Bad day?" A voice called a few feet away from them. Amelia looked over to see Elena standing with her arms crossed, leaning against the building. Her hair was curly and she was wearing heels and a leather jacket.

"Katherine." Amelia murmured, mostly to herself.

Damon pulled her so she was standing half-way behind him. "Bad century." He replied casually. "Heard you were on the loose." He looked her up and down.

Amelia felt uncomfortable, recalling the vision she had seen of them kissing in the Salvatore Boarding House before Katherine had turned his world upside down.

"What's the matter? Jealous I spent the day with Stefan?" Katherine cocked her head. "You're awfully protective of your little Devereaux witch… Word on the street is that she's not really a Devereaux witch though, hm?" Katherine goaded, looking Amelia up in down.

"I don't do jealous. Not with you - not anymore." Damon said maturely.

Amelia wanted to question Katherine so bad, but she held the urge in, knowing that she couldn't let her know that she was dying for the information. Couldn't make a deal with Katherine, knowing that she would want a costly price in return.

Damon pulled Amelia with him as he walked away from her. Katherine followed behind them, her heels clicking on the sidewalk. It made Amelia nervous. She didn't like not having a set of eyes on her. If she wanted to, she could kill Amelia so fast, neither Damon nor her would have time to stop her. "Then why so pouty?" Katherine called after him.

"Tried to kill a werewolf and failed. Now I feel like I'm not living up to my best self." Damon replied.

_Damon tried to kill Mason? _Amelia opened her mouth before snapping it shut again. She didn't want Katherine to know that she wasn't in on what had happened.

Katherine finally caught up to them, sandwiching Amelia between the two vampires. "Well, werewolves aren't easy prey." Katherine said, sighing.

Amelia noticed that Katherine seemed more tense than she had before, but she was hiding it well.

"What do you know about werewolves?" Damon questioned her.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" Katherine responded, hand on her hip. "Don't try to be the hero, Damon. You'll end up dead."

"Been there, done that. At least this time it'll be worth it." Damon said.

Katherine turned to Amelia and grabbed onto her arm. Amelia held her breath, alarmed, before forcing herself to act normally. "If you stay with the Salvatore's - you're doomed." Amelia recalled when Isobel had told her the same thing. "I can help you live up to your full potential, Amelia. As an act of good faith, I'll even return your powers to you." Katherine glanced down to Amelia's talisman. "And you won't have to wear that ugly-ass necklace all the time." Amelia gripped her talisman, frowning. She didn't think it was ugly. "When you realize I've been right all along, give me a call. My number's in your phone." Katherine told her.

Amelia's frown deepened. "How'd-."

"Don't worry about it." Katherine winked at her, disappearing into the darkness.

Amelia returned home, in a bad mood. She couldn't stop thinking about what Katherine had said to her. _What she would give to just be a normal witch… _She thought about how strangely Stefan and Elena had been acting, and, for that matter, Caroline as well. She thought about Liz, who had no idea who she really was, and that she enjoyed spending her free time with her best friend the serial killer. She thought about her rocky relationship with Bonnie, and how they used to be so close. She missed having someone to practice her magic with - someone else who understood.

Amelia stood stonily in front of her unusually full storage closet that had remained untouched for months. She took a deep breath, knowing that Sheila Bennett would hate to see the two witches fighting, and opened the closet.

Amelia knocked nervously on the home of the Bennett's, a taped up box in one hand, and several other sealed boxes on the porch.

The door opened and Amelia was disappointed when Mr. Bennett, Bonnie's father opened the door. "Oh, hi, Mr. Bennett! I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I have some things for Bonnie…" Amelia trailed off.

Mr. Bennett frowned. "Er, let me go grab her…" He trailed off, closing the door.

Amelia stood outside nervously for about a minute as she heard two voices arguing. The door opened again. "I'm sorry, Amelia, uh, Bonnie is, erm, already asleep…" Mr. Bennett lied poorly as his irate daughter listened from the stairs.

"Oh, um, okay…" Amelia said, disappointed. "If you could just give these to her for me?" She said, handing him a box.

"Sure. You have a good night, dear." He replied, setting it inside before grabbing the other two boxes. Amelia nodded, and walked away, feeling tears of frustration form in her eyes. "Amelia!" Mr. Bennett called. Amelia turned and looked at her ex-bestfriend's father. "It really was nice seeing you." He said sincerely.

She gave him a small smile before climbing in her car and driving home, refusing to think about what had just happened.

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews/favorites/follows! I would really love to hear feedback! Super excited for this season! -TeamComrade11**


	29. S2 Chapter 5: Kill or Be Killed

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Five: Kill or Be Killed**

**March 5, 2010**

The next day, Amelia Whitmore was helping Liz Forbes lug boxes into the mudroom when Caroline came down the stairs. Liz was wearing a pretty peach colored button up shirt and a pair of casual jeans while Amelia was wearing a dark purple long sleeve sweater with a pair of light colored jeans. "Are you off today?" Caroline asked, confused.

"The Historical Society Volunteer Picnic is today. You're the one who signed me up." Liz reminded her.

Caroline nodded her head, her large hoop earrings bouncing in her wavy hair. "Oh, I know, I just assumed you'd bail." She said rudely.

"Care." Amelia groaned, not wanting them to fight.

"Nope, I'm going to spend the whole day with my daughters." Liz smiled at them, ignoring Caroline's negative remark.

"You're gonna pretend to be a mother?" Caroline crossed her arms.

"Care, that's enough." Amelia scolded, not liking the way she talked to her.

"I'll bring my gun if it gets rough." Liz said good-naturedly.

"Mm." Caroline said, skeptical.

"Come on, give me one day." Liz pleaded. "I've been buried in work mode and I've barely seen you girls, especially you Care."

"Well, be warned, I'm in a mood." Caroline declared.

"Goody for me." Liz sang before asking, "What was Elena doing here so late last night?"

Caroline paused. "Elena wasn't - yes, um, Elena _was_ here, uh, she just needed to talk." Caroline nodded, as if she were trying to convince herself. "Her and Stefan are going through a rough patch." Caroline nodded again, turning away.

"Is everything okay with you?" Liz asked, concerned. Amelia frowned. _So she wasn't the only one who thought something was up with Care?_

"I'm fine." Caroline said, annoyed.

"It's just lately you've seemed different." Liz said.

_Yeah, you're daughter was turned into a vampire, she's a lot different…_

"I'm not different - I'm fine." Caroline insisted.

"Look, I know you think I don't notice these things but I do. What's going on with you?" Liz maintained, stepping closer to her.

"You know, there's pretending to be a mother and then there's reality. Let's not push our luck, okay?" Caroline smiled fakely, leaving the room.

Amelia put a comforting hand on Liz's shoulder. "She'll open up to you. She's just been having a hard time lately. I'll talk to her." Amelia promised.

Liz smiled at her. "Thanks, Lia. Now, let's get these boxes loaded up."

Carol Lockwood put Amelia straight to work as soon as she arrived to the event. Amelia was slacking a bit, watching warily as Mason Lockwood approached Liz, speaking to her for a few minutes. It seemed like they were arguing about something.

As soon as Mason left, Amelia left her work station and went to go talk to Liz. Damon arrived there at the same time.

"Hey, I, uh, saw you talking to Mason. What was that about?" Damon asked casually.

"Oh, I, uh, I just asked him to help with the clean up in the woods." Liz said, nodding.

Damon chuckled. "That's what I'm here for. Put me to work." Liz nodded. "Should I go help him?" Damon asked reluctantly, although Amelia never would have guessed from his tone of voice.

"Oh, no, you know what, he's, I'm sure he's fine." Liz shook her head.

"Are you okay, Liz?" Amelia asked her, having a gut feeling that something was wrong. "You seem really upset."

"It's Caroline, we had a moment." Liz said, directing her response to Damon who also looked worried. Amelia didn't believe her. She had been fine this morning.

"Is there anything I can do?" Damon asked her, leaning forward.

Liz paused and shook her head. "No, Damon. Thank you. It's just horrible parenting skills paying off in spades. Amelia, I think Caroline was looking for you." She said walking away.

Amelia wanted to say something to her but she walked away to quickly. She felt bad, knowing that Caroline was a jerk to her sometimes. Amelia saw Elena walking away from Caroline and she approached her. "What's her problem?" Damon asked, following Amelia.

"Don't worry about it." Caroline responded.

"Why're you being such a bitch to your mom?" Amelia asked her casually.

Caroline turned and looked at her in shock. "Don't worry about it." Caroline grabbed a paint brush and pretended to paint the building.

Amelia noticed that both Damon and Caroline seemed to be eavesdropping on Stefan and Elena's argument. When the couple turned to look at them, they turned away quickly and pretended to be working again.

"Relationships are about communication." Damon muttered.

Caroline glared at them before walking off.

"Come on." Damon grabbed her hand. "We need to talk to Mason Lockwood."

Amelia thought about protesting but Damon was already pulling her across the courtyard and towards the lemonade stand.

"Thank you." Mason told the young girls as they handed him a cup of lemonade and he took a long sip.

"You're welcome." They smiled at him.

"Hello, Mason. Workin' hard?" Damon joked.

"Doing my part." Mason nodded.

"I heard you talked to Stefan." Damon reached.

"Nice guy." Mason commented.

"Yeah, a lot nicer than Damon." Amelia chimed in.

"Well, nice is overrated." Mason said, taking another sip of lemonade.

Damon reached over and patted Mason on the shoulder. "That's what I think!" He agreed, chuckling.

"You have a good day, Damon." Mason said, walking away.

Stefan came up from behind them. "Please tell me that you were just bonding?"

"So what's up with this, um, faux-drama in your relationship?" Damon asked bluntly.

Stefan looked away, confirming Amelia's suspicions. "What're you talking about?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, come on, Stefan. You and Elena don't fight. And if you did, you wouldn't make sure Caroline was always conveniently in earshot." Amelia murmured, glancing around.

"Drop it, guys." Stefan said seriously.

"With pleasure." Damon said smugly, turning away.

"Would you like some lemonade?" The dark haired little girl asked pleasantly.

"Thank you so much, Sweetie." Damon smiled at her kindly, putting a large smile on Amelia's face.

Damon took a long sip of the lemonade and paused a second before spitting it out and coughing, hunching over.

"Damon?" Amelia asked, concerned.

"What's wrong with you?" Stefan leaned over him.

"Vervain." Damon wheezed, coughing before sitting down on a nearby picnic table. "Vervain."

Stefan grabbed the cup and sniffed it, agreeing.

None of them noticed Liz Forbes watching from a distance, concerned that her daughter was sandwiched right in the middle of the two vampires. She couldn't believe that Mason was right. That Damon was a vampire and she hadn't known all along.

Damon was murderous as he gurgled water and spit it back out, trying to soothe his burning throat. "I'm gonna kill him." Damon concluded.

Stefan grabbed onto him. "Hey, no! Damon listen to me! Listen, sit, sit!" Stefan yelled at him in a hushed tone.

"I'm not listening to anymore of your 'give peace a chance' crap." Damon spat. "He's dead."

"Okay, okay." Stefan agreed. "I don't like it, but he's making threats. He could expose us. We need to put him down."

"All right, let's do it." Damon said, happily surprised that his brother was agreeing with him for once. The trio noticed Mason Lockwood was conveniently disappearing into the woods with two trash cans. "Woods. Trash duty. Come on."

"Damon-." Amelia started, unsure of what to say.

Damon turned to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Amelia, stay here. You don't want to see this, trust me. Keep an eye on your friends." He advised, looking deeply into her eyes.

Amelia swallowed, but nodded, not liking where the afternoon was going. She watched wearily as the Salvatore brothers disappeared into the forest.

Amelia was searching the picnic for her friends but she couldn't find them. Her adrenaline was pumping through her veins strongly.

She was thrown off guard and she fell to her knees in pain as she suddenly had a vision. Sheriff Liz Forbes had just shot Stefan and Damon, probably with wooden bullets based on how they were collapsed on the ground. Her deputies followed her as she injected a yellowish/green liquid into them, effectively sedating them. Mason Lockwood proceeded to lead them to an old ruin as the deputies carried the brothers. "It's down the stairs to the left." Mason instructed.

"Be careful! The wooden bullets and vervain won't keep them down for long!" Liz advised before turning to Mason. "What is this place?"

"Old slave quarters." Mason told her. "From the original Lockwood house."

Amelia recognized it from when her and Tyler used to sneak out, needing a spot to make out. "Thank you, Mason, we appreciate all you've done. We've got it from here." Liz commanded.

Mason leaned in closer. "Hey, you're gonna kill them, right?"

"Yes, that's why you should go." Liz sighed. "I'm here as the Council, not as the law. You can't be a part of this. It's for your own protection."

"Liz, I don't care about-." Mason started.

"I do, and I'm not asking." Liz commanded him. "Goodbye Mason."

Mason hesitated before leaving the ruin. "Don't take any chances."

Amelia opened her eyes against the bright sunlight. She stood up, feeling sore, and was glad no one had seemed to notice her on the desolate side of the building.

She took off running to the old ruin as fast as she could, but she was afraid she wouldn't be fast enough.

She finally arrived, out of breath, and feeling dizzy as she heard a gunshot followed by Damon's agonized scream. There was a short pause and again, gunshot, and an agonized scream. Amelia tried to pull herself together, trying to come up with a game plan. She wanted to be logical about this, but every scream Damon released physically hurt her.

Amelia groaned and sprinted down the stairs. "Let's do this. Each with a stake in the heart, and then we'll burn them both."

Amelia skidded around the corner, seeing Liz with a gun pointed at Damon and a few other deputies that she had grown up around.

"Amelia?! What're you doing?" Liz yelled.

"You can't kill them, I'm not gonna let you!" Amelia yelled, holding her hands out, and closing her eyes. A moment later, all of the police officers guns lay at her feet.

"H-how did you do that?" Liz stuttered, disbelieving.

"It doesn't matter." Amelia shook her head.

One of the deputies came running at her and she panicked, raising her hand out towards him. The deputy went flying into the wall and hit his head, sliding to the floor unconscious.

The other deputy pulled a secondary handgun out of his belt that she hadn't noticed and raised it towards her. "Jeff, don't make me hurt you!" Amelia commanded, sounding much more confident than she felt.

Amelia gasped as she heard the sound of the gun fire twice, squeezing her eyes shut. She was relieved to feel no pain, and she opened her eyes to realize that Caroline had appeared, taking the bullets for her and saving her. She couldn't believe he had tried to shoot her. He used to babysit her.

Amelia heard Caroline hiss as she turned into a blur and sank her fangs into Jeff's neck, angrily.

"Caroline, no!" Amelia yelled, holding her hands together towards them before spreading them outward, sending them flying in different directions.

Elena skidded around the corner as Caroline turned to Liz, blood covering her face and dark veins under her eyes. "Hi, Mom." She said.

Finally, Stefan woke up and Elena helped him sit up as he gasped and groaned in pain. Amelia plopped down next to Damon, feeling drained and exhausted. He asked her to slide the unconscious deputy closer to him so he could feed off him, but she refused. "No, Damon. You'll be fine. I'm not letting you eat Kyle - I grew up with him."

Damon groaned, "Me and Stefan need some deputy blood."

Stefan immediately objected. "No, I'll be fine, it's just gonna take a little bit longer."

Amelia hesitated, not making eye contact with Liz who was huddled in the corner as she pushed her hair to the side, offering Damon her neck. "Only a little. Just enough to heal you." Amelia warned, her voice trembling.

Damon ran his hand through her hair, searching her eyes. "Are you sure?"

Amelia pressed her lips together and nodded, shifting her eyes to the blood smeared wall. Damon had one hand in her hair and one hand on her arm as he leaned down and kissed her neck before he gently sank his fangs into her. Amelia tensed up, but was pleasantly surprised that it only stung a little, unlike the other times that vampires had bit into her neck. Almost as quickly as he had done it, he pulled his head away, wiping the small drop of blood off his lips as he pressed his hand to her small fang wounds.

"Damon's right, if there's ever a time to break your diet…" Caroline trailed off, talking to Stefan.

"He said he didn't want it, okay?" Elena told Caroline.

Damon stood up shakily. "This is the most unfortunate situation. Two unconscious deputies…" He turned to look at Liz. "And you. What am I gonna do with you?"

"Um, you aren't going to _do_ anything with her." Amelia glared at Damon.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Caroline asked hopefully. Liz glanced at her before looking away and refusing to look at her. "Mom? Mom, please! I - look, I know that we don't get along and that you hate me, but, I'm your daughter and you'll do this for me, right?" Liz didn't respond. "Mom, please! He will kill you." Caroline pleaded desperately.

Damon nodded, confirming her statement.

Liz looked up. "Then kill me!"

Amelia's heart sank and tears welled up in her eyes. "No!" She protested, moving closer to Liz in case Damon did something stupid.

"I can't take this. Kill me, now." Liz demanded.

Damon walked over to her and crouched down. Amelia walked with him, standing in front of Liz partially. "But you were gonna drag it out so painfully…" He taunted before grabbing onto her and lifting her up.

"Damon, no, no, no!" Amelia yelled, grabbing onto him.

"Relax, guys, no one's killing anybody." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "You're my friend." Damon told Liz gently before turning back to them. "We've gotta clean this up." He sighed.

It was decided that they would lock up Liz and the two deputies in the Salvatore's cellar until the vervain was out of their system and they could compel them to forget about the whole disastrous day.

After they had finally gotten them locked up, and cleaned up most of the blood, Amelia went home and had a nice, hot shower. Then, her and Caroline went back to the Salvatore's, each with some clothes and their school bags.

"Hey, sorry that took forever. I wasn't sure how long my mom would have to be here." Caroline told Elena as she answered the door.

"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave their system… maybe even sooner." Elena said, rubbing Caroline's arm.

"Hey." Amelia greeted Stefan as he joined them.

"Hey." Stefan gave them a small smile.

"Get some bunny in ya?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah, feelin' much better." Stefan smiled. "Thank you."

The girls walked down the stairs to see how Liz and the deputies were doing.

"Thank you." Amelia heard Damon say. "It's not exactly The Ritz, but it's secure and once the vervain's worked it's way out of your system, I will compel you. You will forget everything and you will be a free woman."

Amelia and Caroline paused outside the door as Liz said. "Keep Caroline and Amelia away from me, please. I don't want to see them."

"They're your daughter's Liz." Damon reminded her, making eye contact with Amelia as she held her breath.

"Not anymore. Caroline's gone, and Amelia was never my daughter." She said coldly.

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that." Damon said firmly.

Caroline walked back upstairs and Elena followed her up. Amelia took a deep breath and focused on not crying before following them up and cuddling with Caroline on the couch.

"Can I take you home?" Elena asked.

Caroline shook her head. "I can't go home."

"Why not?" Elena asked, frowning.

"Because I'm scared." Caroline responded, sniffling.

"Why're you scared?" Amelia murmured.

"Caroline, you can talk to us." Elena reminded her.

"Katherine's gonna be there. And she's gonna want me to tell her everything that happened today. She told me I had to spy on you and report back to her." Caroline admitted.

"I know." Elena sighed. "And I've been so mad at you… but then, I tried to put myself in your position, so that I could understand why you would do this to me and to Stefan because he's been such a friend to you… who did she threaten?" Elena asked.

"Matt… She threatened Matt. And I'm so scared of her, Elena, so scared of her." Caroline cried.

"And you should be, Caroline, we all should be." Elena soothed her.

"Why is she doing this?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"What does she want?" Caroline asked.

"That's the million dollar question." Elena sighed, pulling Care over for a hug.

It was pretty late, almost midnight by Amelia's best guess, when she pulled a blanket over a sleeping Caroline. She began to head to the kitchen for a glass of water when Damon approached her. She pressed a finger to her lips and murmured, "Caroline's sleeping on the couch."

"And you?" Damon asked her, curious.

"I-I'll probably take one of the bedrooms upstairs, if that's okay…" She trailed off as he nodded, looking somewhat disappointed. "What you did today for my mo-…. er, for Liz…" She corrected, feeling like her heart had been ripped out. "That's the Damon that's my friend."

"Come on, I'll walk you upstairs." Damon said leading her up the stairs by her hand.

Amelia liked the feel of his warm hand over hers, and focused on that as they walked upstairs together. She found the room that she had stayed in last time, and she laid down on the bed, as did Damon. She rolled over and wrapped her arm around him, needing to be comforted.

"Don't pay attention to what your mom said earlier." Damon murmured to her, brushing her hair off her neck.

"I don't have a mom." Amelia said dully, thinking about what Liz had said to her. How she had never been her daughter.

Amelia tensed up before relaxing as Damon felt the healed up wounds on her neck from where he had drank from her earlier. He peeked at them, seeing that they were almost unnoticeable despite the angry red discoloration that had yet to heal.

"That's not true, she's just upset." Damon promised her.

Amelia shook her head, trying not to get upset. "No, Damon. She saw me for who I really am for the first time, and she decided that she couldn't handle that. And it doesn't matter if you compel her. I'll alway know, in my heart… what she really thinks of me."

Damon ran his hand through her hair until she fell asleep, wishing he could bring some solace to his sleeping witch.

**A/N: Hi guys! This was a huge chapter for Amelia... hope you liked it! -TeamComrade11**


	30. S2 Chapter 6: Plan B

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Six: Plan B**

**March 8, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore was standing on her toes, gripping the bars to the cell that Liz Forbes was confined in. She wasn't sure if Liz was sleeping, or if she just had her back to her.

"The vervain will be out of her system soon." Damon said from behind her, trying to soothe her. She had been so stressed out since Liz had found out she was a witch, and that Caroline was a vampire. He knew that she felt horrible for keeping Liz locked up, but he also knew it was their best option.

"I know… It's just-." Amelia cut herself off, unsure of what to say. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Someone's here." Damon stated. Amelia turned around to look at him, alarmed, but he had disappeared.

She took one last longing look at Liz before saying, "If you're awake, just know that this will be all over soon." She glanced at the sleeping deputies on the other side of the room.

Liz Forbes laid rigidly on the small bed, facing the stony wall, with silent tears streaming down her face. She ignored Amelia, pretending that she was sleeping.

Amelia sighed and went upstairs, surprised to see Jeremy Gilbert standing on the porch.

Damon tried to slam the door on him, but Jeremy pushed back against the door. "Tyler Lockwood has to kill someone to activate his curse. He's not a werewolf yet." He informed them.

"Wow, fascinating. Not enough." Damon said monotonously, attempting to shut the door again.

"Damon!" Amelia scolded, hurrying over to them.

"But Mason Lockwood is, and he's looking for a moonstone - a special rock connected to the werewolf legend - that's why he's here." Jeremy continued.

"A moonstone." Damon hummed, interested.

"And I know where it is." Jeremy said, sounding proud of himself.

"And you're telling me this why?" Damon furrowed his brow.

"Do I need a reason?" Jeremy asked. "Look I just want to help, okay?

Amelia crossed her arms, "What did your sister say about this little discovery?"

Jeremy glanced at her before looking away, not saying anything.

"Oh, you haven't told her, have you?" Amelia confirmed.

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Elena doesn't want me getting involved in all this." He attempted to walk through the door, but Damon pushed him back. Amelia thought about calling Elena, but wasn't sure if she was already at the Lockwood's, helping to set up for the Masquerade Ball tonight.

"And you're a Gilbert and you just can't help yourself." Damon stated, looking him up and down. "Wow, your search for a life's purpose is as obvious as it is tragic."

Amelia glared at Damon and Jeremy just shook his head. "Are you gonna let me in or not?" He asked.

After a moment, Damon stepped aside and Jeremy walked inside. "I don't think this is a good idea." Amelia murmured, shaking her head as Damon shut the door.

"Well, then it's a good thing no one asked you." Damon said harshly, doing that squinty thing with his eyes.

Amelia looked away from him feeling hurt. "Fine, whatever." She grumbled, starting to walk away.

Damon groaned, "Amelia…"

She ignored him and went back downstairs. She stood on her toes and was surprised to see that Caroline had just entered the cell.

"You didn't eat much." Caroline remarked. Amelia walked inside as well, noticing that the chicken and green beans she had cooked her earlier had remained untouched. The deputies were still sleeping across the room.

Caroline glanced back at Amelia, giving her a tentative smile, and Liz sat up on the edge of the bed, but said nothing. "Good news!" Caroline said, trying to be cheerful. "Dr. Damon said the vervain's almost out of your system. So, with any luck, you'll be freshly compelled and back in your own bed by tonight." Liz said nothing. "Are you really just gonna pretend that I don't exist?" Caroline asked her, crossing her arms.

Liz glanced up at Caroline and glanced over at Amelia before looking back to her daughter. "Yes. So, please, go."

Caroline pressed her lips together and gathered up the food tray. "As usual, you don't care." She emphasized. "Got it. Just like before I was a vampire. It's not like I died or anything." Caroline opened the door about to leave, and Amelia followed.

"Are you… Are you really dead?" Liz asked tearfully.

"Yes and no." Caroline responded, pausing at the doorway.

"How is it possible?" Liz questioned.

Caroline shut the door and the girls sat down next to their mother. Amelia was silent as Caroline attempted to explain everything to her.

"So, I mainly drink from blood bags. It's not as good as the fresh stuff, but it beats the animal blood that Stefan's been trying to get me to drink." Caroline finished.

"So, you steal the blood from the hospital?" Liz asked, trying to understand.

"Damon does. I've been pilfering his supply." Care said sheepishly, shrugging.

"So, as long as you have blood, you don't need to kill?" Liz asked, shaking her head.

Caroline grimaced. "I want to." She admitted. "It's my basic nature now. But, on a healthy diet, I can control it. I'm getting better at it. I'm better than Stefan. He's a bit of a problem drinker. A 'blood-aholic.'" Caroline joked.

"I don't want this for you… For either of you." Liz shook her head.

Caroline nodded. "I know, but when life gives you lemons…"

Amelia hesitantly told Liz, "There's nothing… wrong… with what I am, Liz. Being a witch means being a 'servant of nature.' Or, at least, that's what Sheila always told me."

"Sheila Bennett was… like you?" Liz asked, surprised. "You said she was your piano instructor."

Amelia shook her head, chuckling sadly. "Sheila didn't even know how to play the piano, but she was my mentor. She taught me everything I know." She admitted.

"Damon's home." Caroline said, looking up as she listened to him.

Amelia frowned, finding it eery that she could sense so much that she couldn't now.

Liz glanced around, also surprised that she could hear that.

Amelia gave a small smile to Liz before hurrying upstairs. She was shocked to see Mason Lockwood unconscious in a chair in the living room with Bonnie Bennett and Damon. "Here grab that corner." Damon told Bonnie, gesturing to the tarp laid out under Mason. He hadn't noticed her enter yet.

"Well, why are we doing this?" Bonnie asked, helping him even out the tarp.

"Because I don't want to stain the carpet." Damon responded.

Bonnie groaned. "I knew your were going to say something like that."

"You're judging again." Damon said.

"He's not gonna be out much longer." Bonnie informed him.

Damon rummaged through Mason's bag, pulling out thick, heavy chains. "Woah, looks like this guys used to being tied up." He joked.

"What's going on?" Amelia piped up, moving closer to them.

Bonnie had her hand on Mason's head and spoke to Damon. "You're looking for a moonstone, and I'm trying to help you find it." She said annoyed, not looking at Amelia.

"Oh, good, yeah. Find out if he gave it to Katherine." Damon demanded.

Amelia frowned. "Why would he give it to Katherine?"

Damon ignored her. "And find out where she is. _And_, find out what they're gonna do with it once they get it."

"It doesn't work that way, Damon." Amelia chided.

Bonnie closed her eyes. "It's somewhere small… dark… there's water."

"Like a sewer?" Damon guessed.

"No, like a… well? Yeah, it's a well." Bonnie said more confidently.

"Why would it be in a well?" Damon asked.

"I told you, I only get what I get." Bonnie informed him, irritated.

Amelia stepped forward and tried to do the same thing Bonnie had done. She pressed her hand to Mason and immediately got an image of a wolf, howling at the moon. Then, she saw a small box, floating in dark water. It was tied to the well with a chain, and there was some sort of a green plant in the well. She saw Mason and Katherine making out. They were both topless, and rolling around in a bed with flowered sheets. The bedroom almost looked like a hotel room that needed to be updated? No, that couldn't be right.

"What do you see?" Damon asked her, interested.

"Nothing of use." Amelia frowned.

Suddenly, Mason grabbed onto her arm hard, and she let out a squeak. Bonnie jumped back as Damon intervened quickly and made him let go.

"Thats it, that's all I've got. I'm leaving." Bonnie said, quickly walking away.

"Hey, judgy!" Damon called after her. "Thank you." He said sincerely.

Bonnie glanced at them once more before walking out of the room.

"Okay, time for you to leave." Damon informed her, giving her a light push away from Mason.

Amelia frowned. "What're you going to do to him?"

"Whatever I need to do to get the information I need… I don't want you to see me like that." Damon said gently, resting his hands on her shoulders.

Amelia felt bad for Mason, but then reminded herself how he had tried to get the Salvatore's killed. He was the reason behind everything that had happened with Liz.

"Be careful." She told him, giving him a brief hug before following Bonnie out of the room.

"Hey!" Caroline called to Bonnie, appearing behind them.

"Hi." Bonnie said hesitantly. They were quiet for a moment. "How's your mom? Elena filled me in on everything." She explained.

"Um, I'm gonna take her home tonight." Caroline said tentatively.

"Caroline, uh… Never mind, I've gotta go." Bonnie started before changing her mind and turning away.

"Did you, uh, find the moonstone, thing?" Caroline asked, trying to keep the conversation going… trying to restore their friendship.

"Not yet." Bonnie shook her head. "Hey, do you remember that old well where we used to play when we were kids?"

"Yeah!" Caroline nodded her head.

Bonnie glanced at Amelia, and she shook her head. "No, uh, I think I was still living with my mom, er, my real mom, then." She said awkwardly, feeling it of place.

"Oh." Bonnie responded quietly, before turning back to Caroline. "It's in the woods. Do you remember where?"

"On the edge of the old Lockwood property. Why?" Caroline informed her.

Bonnie pulled out her phone and sent a text message to someone. "I think that's where Mason is keeping the moonstone." Bonnie was quiet for a moment before saying, "I've gotta go."

"Well, I can come with you." Caroline chimed in, desperate to have her friend back.

"No! That's okay." Bonnie said quickly before pausing and really looking at Caroline, before looking at Amelia sadly. "Sure." She nodded.

"Okay." Caroline smiled. "Amelia, are you coming?"

"Oh, um…" Amelia looked at Bonnie, trying to determine if she should or not.

"Please come, Lia." Bonnie took her hand. "I know we've had some differences, but I'd really like to try to work them out." She said desperately.

Amelia took a deep breath and smiled, following the girls out.

About twenty minutes later, the trio was wandering throughout the woods of the Lockwood property, trying to find the well.

Caroline said, "I think we're almost there." All of a sudden she stopped in her tracks and looked around. "Oh, my God!"

Amelia turned to look at her in surprise and she ran forward, blurring until Amelia couldn't see her.

"What just happened?" Bonnie asked, confused.

"I don't know, nothing good." Amelia responded, closing her eyes.

"What're you doing?" Bonnie asked, sensing her magic.

"Looking for Caroline… there! They found the well, come on!" Amelia took off running and Bonnie followed her. About a minute later, they found the well. Amelia was surprised to see Elena hanging over the well in some sort of chain while Caroline held the chain up.

"What's going on? You just took off in a blur." Bonnie asked, breathless as they ran up to the well.

"I heard Elena screaming. Help her, now." Caroline commanded them. Elena hung onto the chain with one hand and grabbed onto Bonnie's hand with the other. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Elena nodded, and Caroline began to lower her down.

"I don't understand, why was she screaming? Is everything okay?" Amelia asked as she lost sight of Elena.

Caroline shook her head. "She's going down to get Stefan. The well is full of vervain."

"Oh, my God." Amelia muttered, feeling guilty. She had seen a green plant in the well, but she had never guessed it was vervain. She should have taken a closer look.

Amelia gasped and Elena screamed as Caroline lost her grip on the chain and she fell down fast. Caroline regained control of the chain and called out, "Sorry!"

"It's okay, keep going!" Elena yelled back, her voice echoing. "Come on!"

Amelia waited anxiously as Caroline called out, "Elena, what's going on down there?"

Elena must have wrapped Stefan up in the chain. "Pull him up!" She hollered.

Caroline began tugging on the chain, and Amelia felt horrible as she caught sight of Stefan's burned and bloody body. She helped Bonnie lay him on the ground.

"Elena? We're ready for you!" Caroline hollered.

"Hold on!" Elena's voice echoed. "I need to find the stone!"

"Hurry!" Amelia yelled before kneeling over Stefan and focusing on trying to heal him.

"I think I found it!" Elena yelled.

Amelia was distracted as Elena began screaming.

"Elena, what's going on?!" Caroline yelled.

"I've got it. Come on! Bring me up!" She yelled back.

As Caroline pulled her up, Amelia finished her incantation. She was disappointed to see that he had barely healed.

Bonnie took the box from Elena and helped her out of the chains as Elena looked at Stefan. "Oh, God." Elena cried, scrambling onto her knees next to Stefan. "Stefan, Stefan!"

Stefan was still unconscious.

Elena grabbed a nearby, sharp-looking rock, and made a cut on her hand.

Caroline gasped and turned away, feeling the desire to grab onto Elena and feed until she was dead.

Elena put her hand up to Stefan's mouth. "I've got the stone, Stefan." Elena soothed as he opened his eyes and drank from her. "Everything's gonna be okay." Amelia watched uncomfortably, not liking that she was feeding him blood, before looking away.

After everything had settled down, Amelia excused herself, going home to feed her cat, Merlin.

Caroline Forbes was describing to her mother, Liz, what had happened to Stefan.

"So I pulled Stefan out of this well, and, uh, he's all vervained and rotted… but, Bonnie wasn't mean to me or Amelia _once_ and I just, I really think it's progress! You know, I just, I… what?" Caroline trailed off, realizing that her mother was looking at her strangely. "I'm freaking you out?" She guessed.

"It's just that you've become this… person-." Liz began.

"Don't, I…. We were just starting to get along…" Caroline interrupted her, feeling sad.

"This strong, this confident, person." Liz smiled at her.

"Oh. Thank you." Caroline said back to her, surprised.

Liz looked at her for a moment, pride in her eyes. "You don't have to take my memories away. I'll keep your secret… If you're worried about them just say you compelled me." Liz shrugged, shaking her head. "I won't tell." She told her daughter, sincerely, a tear rolling down her face. "I'll never do anything to hurt you."

Caroline was starting to tear up as well. She shook her head. "We never talk like this… ever. And today meant so much to me." Caroline admitted.

Liz shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Me too."

Caroline sniffed and scooted closer to her mom, holding her hands. "I know… I know I can trust you."

Liz nodded and Caroline shook her head grimly. "But you're never going to trust them." Both of the Forbes had tears in their eyes as Caroline's pupils dilated and she compelled her mother. "I'm going to take you home. You're going to forget that I'm a vampire, and that Amelia is a witch."

"I'm going to forget that you're a vampire. Amelia isn't a witch." Liz repeated.

"You'll remember that you got sick with the flu… you had a fever, chills, and ickiness, but I made you soup… and it was really salty." Caroline chuckled. "But, mostly Amelia nursed you back to health, because that's what she does. She's a better daughter to you than I will ever be… We bickered, and you got better. And then your selfish, little daughter.. who loves you…" Caroline's voice broke, tears falling out of her eyes. "… no matter what, went right back to ignoring you." She sighed. "And all was right in the world."

Upstairs, Damon Salvatore was cleaning up his mess, and Mason's body, when Stefan walked in. He was completely healed, and he waved the moon stone in the air proudly. "All this, for that?" Damon asked annoyed, standing up.

"Yep." Stefan sighed, tossing it to his brother.

Damon looked it over as Stefan scolded him, looking at Mason's body. "I see you've exercised your usual restraint."

Damon shrugged and responded, "Had to be done." Damon bent down and grabbed Mason's wallet and his keys, pulling out Mason's phone, and sending a text message. "Hi Carol, big opportunity in Florida, gonna be gone for a long time. Will send for my things once I get settled. Much love, Mason." Damon goaded, sending the message.

Stefan knelt down. "Let's get rid of the body." He said, grabbing onto it.

"Ooh! Last number dialed… I wonder who that could possibly be." Damon smirked deviously.

"No, no, no, don't provoke her!" Stefan protested, hurrying over to his brother, but Damon dodged him, calling the number.

"Mason?" Katherine's voice answered on the other line. "You should have been here an hour ago." She chided.

"Wrong boy toy." Damon goaded, pushing Stefan away as he tried to grab the phone. Finally, Stefan gave up and walked away, glaring at him.

"Damon. For once, you surprised _me_. I assume Mason's with you?" Katherine asked.

"He's right beside me! Although, his hearts across the room." He said smugly.

Katherine was silent for a moment. "You shouldn't have." She said angrily.

"I've had a very busy day today." Damon remarked, sitting down in an armchair. "Killed a werewolf, found the moonstone. Hey, did you know that he hid the moonstone in the bottom of a well full of vervain? Seems like he didn't trust you very much…" He said smugly. "Although, he did love you. Poor guy. Hey, where are you? 'Cause, you know, I can bring him over. Last goodbyes and all that." He taunted.

"You have no idea what you've just done." Katherine responded.

"Aw, did I put a kink in your master plan? I'm so sorry." Damon pouted, using a baby voice.

"Do you honestly believe that I don't have a Plan B? And if that fails, a Plan C, and Plan D, and - you know how the alphabet works, don't you? Send my love to Stefan." Katherine replied before she hung up.

Over at the Gilbert home, Elena had just walked down the stairs to eat dinner. "Where's Jeremy?" She asked, helping to set the table.

"Uh, he went straight up to his room - said he wasn't hungry." Alaric responded as Jenna was talking on the phone.

"Who's she talking to?" Elena asked, looking over at her aunt.

"I don't know." Alaric responded, his hands on his hips. "Everything go okay today?" He asked.

Elena nodded. "There were a few hiccups, but, yeah." She said.

Jenna walked over towards Elena. "Of course. I understand." Jenna told the person on the phone, before handing it to Elena. "Elena, it's for you."

"Who is it?" Elena asked. Jenna made no reply, so she put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Elena." Her voice responded on the phone. Only, it wasn't her voice. This voice was much more sinister. Katherine. Elena looked at Alaric in panic before walking away a few steps.

"Katherine." She whispered.

"Did you enjoy your little rendezvous with Stefan this morning? I will always know, Elena. I will always be one step ahead of you. When are you gonna figure that out? Do you know how easy it was to get inside of your house? To replace Aunt Jenna's vervain perfume - to convince her to stop drinking her special tea?" Katherine taunted her.

Elena glanced over at Jenna who was slicing a loaf of bread. Alaric approached her but she put her hand up. "No."

"Jenna's been my little spy for days now, but unlike you, Jenna actually listens to me. So, when I suggested the world would be a much better place if she would just-."

Elena looked up to see Jenna standing with the knife held up above her, ready to stab herself.

"Jenna, no!" Elena yelled, dropping the phone and yelling to her as the knife slid into her abdomen.

"Jenna!" Alaric yelled as they kneeled down next to her.

None of them heard Katherine's response. "Well, you get the idea."

But Katherine wasn't done there. The next number she dialed was Mason's phone.

"Well, well, well, just couldn't get enough, Katherine?" Damon taunted, answering the phone. He took a sip of his Bourbon, a smug smile on his face.

"Walk outside, Damon. You'll find a little present on your doorstep." Katherine goaded, not wasting any time, as Damon cautiously opened the door, seeing a piece of jewelry on the porch. He bent down to pick it up, noticing the red opal talisman that always hung on Amelia's neck. "Do you know how easy it was to snatch that from her scrawny little neck? To put a few… suggestions into her head?"

"Katherine, I swear, if you hurt her-." Damon threatened as he put the talisman in his pocket.

"This is revenge for what you did to Mason, Damon. Remember that the next time you try to intervene with my plans. It's too bad really. I really liked Amelia - she had potential." Katherine threatened, referring to Amelia in the past-tense, which Damon was all too aware of.

Damon heard the dial tone and he ran to the Forbes' home in a blur, desperate. He slowed down just slightly as he arrived and he heard a gun shot and light shining through the windows as the gun went off.

"No, no, no…" Damon muttered, panicked, as he sped into the home, the smell of blood filling his nostrils. He slid to a stop in the kitchen as he saw Amelia with a handgun pointing to her stomach. She shot herself twice more, the sound deafening his ears, as she crumbled to the floor. The gun clattered to the ground as he recklessly pushed it out of her hands. He caught her before she could fall down completely, and he helped her slide to the floor. "Oh, my God, no, Amelia, no, no, no." He murmured, pressing his hand to her stomach. He fought against the urge to feed on her, there was so much blood…

Amelia groaned and coughed up blood, trying to tell him something.

Damon pulled the talisman out of his pocket and placed it around her neck before he bit into his wrist. He wasn't gonna risk bringing her to the hospital - she wouldn't make it. Besides, with what Katherine had done to Caroline there…

"No…!" Amelia moaned weakly, she tried to sit up, and her hand slipped on the wet floor that was covered in her blood.

Damon shoved his wrist to her mouth and she tried to fight him for a few moments as she choked and spluttered on the blood. He sat behind her, holding her to him as he shushed her. Finally, she gave in and drank his blood willingly, trying not to puke. Damon lifted up her shirt and saw that she had three large exit wounds through her back, narrowly avoiding her spine, that were beginning to heal. "God, I'm so sorry, baby, I'm so sorry. You're gonna be okay. Sh, sh, you'll be okay, Amelia."

Finally, Damon pulled his hand away and he ran his hand through her hair. "Damon, I'm so sorry, Katherine-." Amelia cried, before Damon interrupted her.

Damon interrupted her, scooting so that he could look her in the face. "No, Amelia, it's okay. It's not your fault. I-I-I provoked Katherine and she, she did this. This is my fault, not yours." He soothed her, wiping the tears off her face. "I wasn't thinking - I didn't think."

"I-I-I'm so sore." She complained, pressing her hand to her wound that had almost healed. "God, if you hadn't shown up…" She realized that she would be dead right now.

The Gilbert siblings were talking anxiously in the waiting room of the hospital.

"Is she okay?" Jeremy questioned.

Elena responded, "The doctors told Alaric that she got lucky. She's gonna make it. She's gonna be okay." Elena nodded.

"Does she remember what happened?" Jeremy asked, concerned.

"No, nothing, it's all a part of Katherine's mind compulsion." Elena explained, her stomach sinking at the thought of Katherine.

"Why would Katherine hurt Jenna?" Jeremy questioned, confused.

"Because she's trying to send a message. That she can get to anybody." Elena turned away, her voice breaking as a sob racked through her chest.

"Hey, hey, come here." Jeremy told her, hugging his sister. "It's gonna be okay." He soothed.

"No, it's not." Elena disagreed, shaking her head.

Jeremy ran his hand through his sister's hair. "She's gonna pay, Elena. I don't know how, but she's gonna pay." He promised her.

Back at the Forbes's home, Damon had cleaned up the kitchen and put Liz's handgun back in her belt upstairs as Amelia showered and threw away the clothes she had been wearing. It was really too bad, because she had loved those jeans…

Amelia rubbed her sore stomach as she threw on a pair of sweatpants and an old cheer shirt of Caroline's. "The kitchen looks good as new." Damon informed her, and she flinched, feeling especially jumpy after everything that had happened. She turned around dizzily and was alarmed to see that he was covered in her blood.

"Oh, my God." She murmured, looking him up and down. "All of that really came out of me?"

"You should have seen the kitchen floor, too. And the wall…" He joked, before turning more serious. "You lost a lot of blood, Amelia. You need to take it easy, okay?"

Amelia pulled at her hair, her head pounding from the vampire blood she had ingested. Damon frowned and disappeared before returning five seconds later with a glass of water and two tablets in his hand. "That's so freaky." She sighed, taking it from him gratefully.

"Unfortunately, I need to go home and change." Damon said grimly, taking in the state of his attire. He had rather liked his clothes as well, but sacrifices had to be made.

"Oh, right, um…" Amelia trailed off, afraid to be alone, but not wanting to admit it. "I'll come with you. Check in on Caroline, and everything…"

A little while later, the pair entered the Salvatore Boarding House. Immediately, Damon put a hand on Amelia's shoulder, preventing her from going further into the house. He seemed to be listening to something. Damon frowned and told her quietly, "Katherine compelled Jenna to kill herself because Stefan and Elena have been sneaking around. Jenna's gonna be okay, but she's in the hospital. Elena… is breaking up with Stefan right now."

"Oh, my God." Amelia breathed, grabbing onto his hand.

Just then, Elena rounded the corner. She was sobbing and she had her hand wrapped around her stomach. Her face was stained with tears and mascara. "Oh, my God, what happened to you?!" She choked out, looking at Damon who was covered in blood.

"Katherine. Sh-she stole Amelia's talisman and compelled her to shoot herself, but, fortunately, I got there in time." Damon explained.

Elena turned to Amelia, noticing that she was clutching onto her stomach. "God, I'm so glad you're okay." Elena sniffled.

Damon shook his head, looking at her apologetically. "I wound Katherine up. I wasn't thinking - I didn't think! If I hadn't killed Mason-."

Elena interrupted him. "It doesn't matter, Damon. She won… Katherine won." The trio exchanged glances before Elena walked out of the door and didn't look back.

Amelia held his hand as they walked further into the house. Amelia caught a glimpse of Stefan who was a teary eyed mess. He glanced down to their conjoined hands and made a strange sound before he disappeared.

Amelia felt so bad for Elena and Stefan, but she was just so _tired_. She didn't say a word to Damon as she led him upstairs. She went into his bedroom and laid down on his comfy bed while he undressed from his blood-soaked clothing. Amelia was grateful that he at least left his boxers on as he went into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on and she waited for him to join her. Her headache and stomach pain had mostly receded, but the walls were spinning all around her, making her nauseous.

She groaned and Damon appeared at her side, in a pair of black boxers this time. "You okay?" He asked her worriedly, his wet hair dripping onto his face - his piercing eyes meeting hers.

Amelia nodded, closing her eyes. "I just need this horrible day to be over." She said as she felt him climb into bed behind her.

Damon tentatively put his arms around her, and when she didn't protest, he pulled her close to him. Her breathing slowed and he pressed his nose into her damp hair, smelling her apple cinnamon shampoo. "I'm so sorry, Amelia." He murmured into her hair.

"Shh… sleepy time." Amelia mumbled, and was asleep seconds later.

Damon Salvatore had a hard time sleeping that night. He found himself waking up at the smallest of noises, ready to jump up and defend the woman he loved if he needed to.

**A/N: !**


	31. S2 Chapter 7: Masquerade

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Seven: Masquerade**

**March 24, 2010**

Damon Salvatore, Caroline Forbes, and Amelia Whitmore were currently talking in the living room of the Salvatore Boarding House.

"Here." Damon handed Caroline a glass of blood.

"I'm still shaking." Caroline admitted, sipping on the blood.

Damon plopped down on the love seat with Amelia and she leaned into him as he put his arm on her shoulder. Amelia watched Caroline as she drank the blood - trying not to be disgusted by it.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at the pair but looked up when Stefan entered the room. "What happened?" He asked.

"I saw Katherine today." She explained.

"Where?" Stefan questioned, moving closer to her.

"At The Grill. I just stopped by to… gawk and… stalk Matt. He asked me if I needed a table, and I said, no, that I just needed to us the little girl's room-." Caroline explained.

Damon interrupted her. "Skip the teen drama, get to it."

Amelia frowned and poked him hard in the ribs. He glared at her but said nothing.

"Then, I had to pretend to use the bathroom even though I didn't _really_ have to go, because I'm a _doofus_." Caroline said.

Amelia sighed. "You're not a doofus, Care."

Caroline gave her a small smile before continuing. "Then, Elena stepped out of the stall, only, I realized it was Katherine. She pretended to be Elena, and said she had seen me with Matt and asked if I was okay. So, I nodded and said yeah before I tried to 'vamp run' out of the bathroom, but Katherine stopped me. She asked what gave her away, the hair or the clothes, and I told her that I knew Elena was at home…" Damon gave her a look and she hurried to continue. "Katherine told me to deliver a message."

"What was the message?" Stefan asked, concerned.

"To tell you that she wants the moonstone. Or she will, er, 'rip this town apart until it,' er, 'rains blood.'" Caroline finished, meekly.

"Tell him the rest of it." Damon smirked.

"She wants it tonight… At the masquerade ball." Caroline told Stefan.

Stefan grimaced. "She wants to do it in public. Killing Mason threw her off guard." He realized.

"She's running scared. What she did to Amelia… and Jenna… was desperate. She's out of tricks." Damon drawled smugly.

"We can't underestimate her, we have to play this smarter." Stefan warned, talking with his hands as he paced.

"Can't we just give her the moonstone so she'll leave?" Caroline pleaded.

"No! After what she did to your _sister_? Katherine's not getting _dick_." Damon emphasized, tightening his hold on Amelia. "I've had it. I'm gonna go to the Masquerade Ball and I'm gonna kill her - tonight."

"You're not gonna kill her." Stefan denied.

"Don't give me that goody-goody crap." Damon shook his head in disgust, glaring at his brother.

"You're not gonna kill her." Stefan repeated, moving in closer to him.

"Oh, really?" Damon taunted.

"Because I am." Stefan said smugly.

Damon nodded his head and Stefan shook his before walking away.

Amelia was working on her homework when Caroline opened the door for Bonnie. "Hey, come on in." Caroline said.

"I got Stefan's message." Bonnie replied, the grimoire in her arms.

Amelia stood up and went to join them in the entrance. "You brought the grimoire, thank you." Stefan said, putting his hands together.

Bonnie noticed Damon and Alaric in the other room who were handling weapons. "What's going on?" She asked.

"We're gonna kill Katherine." Jeremy interjected, walking between them.

"I can explain." Stefan said.

"Please." Bonnie nodded, confused.

"We're gonna kill Katherine." He repeated, nodding, unable to find a better explanation.

"Now, this works with compressed air. There's a trigger mechanism here, these are different sizes. Now, for you, I recommend this. Fits nice in your jacket sleeve, and when you're ready…" Alaric pressed the trigger and a stake shot out into his grasp. He made a stabbing motion as Damon watched, impressed. "You wanted me to show you how to kill vampires."

Amelia watched from the sidelines as Stefan convinced Bonnie to help her with a trapping spell.

"You're sure you guys don't want me there tonight?" Alaric asked again, concerned.

"No, I need you to stay with Elena. I don't want her to know about any this." Stefan told him.

"Okay, well, I'll make sure she doesn't leave my side." Alaric promised.

Amelia groaned. "She is going to be so mad at us."

Stefan gave her a look. "I'd rather she be mad than dead." They were quiet for a moment, the thought sobering. "All right, if anybody wants to back out, I'll understand."

Damon glared at all of them. "Yeah, cold feet, speak now. I don't want this going wrong if someone _chickens_ out… Caroline." He looked at the blonde vampire.

"I won't. She killed me - fair's fair." Care responded. Amelia put a hand on her shoulder and the sisters smiled at each other. "As long as there are no werewolves running around."

"Oh, I took care of Mason." Damon assured her.

Caroline glared back at him. "Yeah, and we all know that my sister almost died because of that." She fumed, gesturing to Amelia. Damon frowned, but didn't have a chance to respond.

"As long as Tyler doesn't kill anyone, he won't turn." Jeremy Gilbert interjected, reassuring them.

"Bonnie. You with us?" Stefan asked, his eyes lingering on the olive-skinned witch.

Bonnie Bennett glanced around. First, at Jeremy, and then at Caroline. Finally, her eyes landed on Amelia. "Fine, but no one get's hurt. I don't want her hurting my friend's again…" Bonnie promised.

"Except Katherine." Damon promised. "Tonight, Katherine gets a stake through her heart."

The Mystic Falls gang, sans Elena, glanced around at each other, worried about the dangerous night to come.

Later that evening, Amelia was in her underwear, leafing through her closet for a dress to wear. She paused on the light blue dress Damon had bought her, before stepping into it. She felt a breeze on her back and her hair stood on end as Damon appeared behind her, "Here, let me zip you up…" He murmured, his fingertips brushing her skin as he zipped up the dress.

Amelia tried to calm her heart rate that was racing not only due to surprise. "You need to stop doing that."

"Doing what?" Damon asked as she turned around. Amelia noticed that he was already dressed in his suit, and he had on a black mask.

"Be a normal person. Knock on the front door." She told him, putting on his mother's earrings that went with the dress perfectly. Damon picked up his mothers bracelet and admired it for a moment before he gently took her hand and placed it on her wrist.

Amelia went to stand in the mirror. She frowned, noticing that her talisman looked awful with her dress. She tucked the jewel under the fabric, so that only the chain was visible. "I wish I didn't need to wear this all the time." She admitted to him, styling her hair.

Damon frowned. "Is there anyway to fix that? You said that your mother did that to you?" He asked.

Amelia sighed. "That's what Sheila told me, but who knows. She said I wasn't ready for the whole truth - that she would tell me when I was ready. But, well, we know how that turned out…" She thought about the dreams she had been having, and considered telling Damon, but felt too silly.

Damon was silent as she put on her makeup in front of the mirror.

Amelia sighed again. "That last time I wore this dress, I killed a vampire…"

Damon smirked, "Well, maybe this is your lucky 'vampire killing dress.'" He couldn't wait to drive a stake through Katherine's cold, dead, heart…

Amelia gave him a look and he sighed, flopping down on her bed and remaining silent as she finished getting ready.

The Salvatore Brothers and Amelia Whitmore stood together, masked, observing the party-goers at the Lockwood Mansion. Amelia was feeling overwhelmed, and she had to concentrate to put up her mental barriers.

"Do you see her?" Amelia asked nervously.

"Nope." Both of the Salvatore brothers responded.

Amelia was watching the fire dancer as he whipped the fire around on his torches.

"You sure you can do this?" Stefan asked Damon.

Damon scoffed. "Who're you talking to?"

"Well, I had the chance to kill her, and I hesitated." Stefan admitted.

"Well, that is the fork in the road between you and me, my brother. I don't hesitate." Damon scoffed.

"It could happen. You spent a hundred and forty five years loving her, Damon. You're not perfect." Amelia reminded him, placing her hand on his arm.

"I won't hesitate, Amelia." He smiled at her, irritated.

"Okay." Stefan nodded, his black and red mask shimmering in the light from the fire as he walked away.

"I have to go find Bonnie so we can set up." Amelia told Damon.

Damon hesitated as she walked away. "Wait! I'll walk you there."

Amelia frowned at him. "I'll be fine, Damon. I know I almost died, and everything, but you don't have to keep treating me like I'm some fragile, porcelain, doll." She sighed.

Damon held his arm out for her and she groaned but allowed him to escort her. They wandered throughout the house and Damon seemed to be concentrating hard on trying to find her. He pulled her up the stairs suddenly and led her to a room where Bonnie and Jeremy Gilbert were.

"Is that the spell book I read about in Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" She head Jeremy ask.

"It's my ancestor, Emily's. The spell we're gonna do here is similar to the one that sealed the vampires into the tomb.

Amelia gave Damon's arm a squeeze and gave him a small smile as they separated.

"Hey." Amelia said to them as Damon left.

"Oh, Amelia, hey. Ooh, I love your mask!" Bonnie smiled at her. Amelia smiled back and thought about the mask that was a blue ombre with silver jewels.

"Thanks." She replied, sitting down next to her as Jeremy shut the door.

"Can you do all the stuff that's in there?" He asked Bonnie.

"Mm, it takes practice. I've worked on some small spells, spells that only do good… I-I don't wanna know too much." Bonnie admitted, glancing away and shaking her head. "I don't particularly enjoy any of this, in case you haven't noticed." She told him, not meeting Amelia's eyes. Amelia frowned, not liking what Bonnie was saying.

"Yeah, but you're a hundred percent witch, that is so cool." Jeremy replied.

"It's anything but cool. Did your family journals tell you what happened to Emily? Or what about my Grams? It never ends well for people like me." Bonnie said.

Amelia frowned, thinking about how the townspeople had burned Emily at the stake and how Sheila had overexerted herself. _If only she had helped them open the tomb…_

"Well, if you feel that way, why help?" Amelia asked her, annoyed.

"Because I don't want anyone else getting hurt." Bonnie told her. "And, I don't know how to stay out of it." She admitted, shaking her head.

"Let's just get this over with, I guess." Amelia mumbled, flipping to the page that they needed with her mind.

"Woah! That's so cool." Jeremy exclaimed.

Amelia ignored his youthful chatter and gripped onto Bonnie's hands. The pair focused on their task at hand and muttered the incantation, growing louder as they felt their magic swirl up inside of themselves.

"That's it?" Jeremy asked, feeling disappointed. He hadn't noticed anything happen.

Amelia frowned. "It's not all wind, and fireworks, Jeremy."

"Well, how do you know it worked then?" Jeremy objected.

"Because I can feel it." Amelia told him. And she could feel it - she could sense the magic that gripped the room. Could almost picture the trap in her mind.

"We need to let Damon and Stefan know the room's ready." Amelia told them as they descended down the stairs. She paused at the bottom of the room, sensing something she only sensed when Bonnie was around. "Do you feel that?" Amelia asked them, looking around the room.

"What's the matter - are you cold?" Jeremy asked her.

"No." Bonnie interjected, sensing something strange as well. She separated from them and walked up to another dark-skinned woman. She tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, do I know you?" Bonnie asked her.

The woman turned around. "No, I'm a plus-one. I know no one. It's a great party though." She raised her glass to Bonnie before walking away.

Amelia looked around, trying to find out where Bonnie had gone.

"Are you okay?" Jeremy asked Bonnie as she walked over to them.

"Just got a weird vibe. Let's find Damon." Bonnie responded, not elaborating.

They searched the party for what felt like forever before finding Damon and letting him know that the room was ready. Amelia had wanted to stick around and talk to him, but Bonnie was eager to get away.

They sat at a table outside and chatted. "So, can you do, like, a hocus-pocus to ace a test?" Jeremy asked them.

"I don't know that spell." Bonnie laughed, shaking her head.

"That'd be like the first one I'd learn. Or maybe like a sex spell or something, I don't know." Amelia looked at him strangely and Bonnie looked at him surprised. Jeremy returned Bonnie's gaze. "Hey, do you want to dance or something while we're waitin'?" He asked her.

"No!" Bonnie said harshly, shocked. She paused at the hurt look on his face. "I mean, not thank you." She said more gently.

Just then, Jeremy's phone vibrated.

Damon: Now.

Jeremy glanced at them and quickly left, ready to do his part.

Amelia was shocked when Elena walked over to them with Jeremy a few minutes later. Jeremy explained everything to her. "You're trying to kill her _here_?" Elena asked, shocked.

"We saw an opportunity and we knew we had to take it." Amelia informed her.

"Okay stop with the we - are you guys crazy?! You're gonna get yourselves killed!" Elena protested.

Amelia glared at her and scoffed. "We know what we're doing, Elena."

"And how am I supposed to feel if one of you gets hurt because of me?" Elena responded.

"It's not about you, Elena. She's messed with all of us, she has to be stopped! Yes, she ruined you and Stefan's relationship, but she also broke Damon's heart. She compelled your Aunt to kill herself, and she _just_ got out of the hospital. She killed my sister and turned her into a vampire. She compelled me to shoot myself and I almost _died_." Amelia reminded her, sick of how she thought it was all about her.

Jeremy and Bonnie silently agreed with Amelia as Elena looked around at them, looking for their support. When she found none, she groaned and threw her hands up in the air, tugging at her hair.

Suddenly, Elena screamed, "Ahhh!" She reached behind her back, feeling the wet blood that was beginning to spread across her shirt.

"Elena!" Jeremy called, running over to her.

"Elena!" Bonnie echoed, hurrying to her friend.

Amelia did a once over of her front, not noticing anything, before seeing the large, wet, blood stain across her back.

"What is that?" Bonnie questioned frantically.

"Oh, my God, Elena, are you okay?" Amelia asked her as Elena cried in pain.

More blood began to well up on her arm and she clutched at it, screaming in pain.

"Oh, my God, it's Katherine - she's linked to Katherine, somehow!" Amelia realized, stepping out of her heels. "Stay here with her, I'll get them to stop!" Amelia promised, gathering up her dress and running inside.

_Damon! Damon, stop! You have to stop! _Amelia called out with her mind desperately and she sprinted as fast as she could up the stairs, ignoring the strange looks she received from the party-goers.

She slid to a stop in the door as she saw Stefan on the ground restraining Katherine, and Damon standing above her, a stake ready to strike her through the heart. "Stop!" She yelled, "You're hurting Elena! Everything you're doing to her is hurting Elena!" Amelia explained breathlessly.

Damon gave her a wild look but backed off a little from Katherine, and Stefan released her.

"You think you two are the only ones with a witch on your side?" Katherine taunted as she got to her feet. "Wrong. And something tells me that my witch is better than your witch…" She winked at Amelia. "Both of them."

Amelia stepped forward, wanting to hurt Katherine. Her eyes widened slightly as Katherine appeared right in front of her. She glanced down and was glad that she hadn't been foolish enough to step inside.

"Amelia, go check on Elena, make sure she's okay." Stefan ordered her.

Amelia frowned, hesitating. She opened her mouth to say something, but Stefan interrupted her. "Go." He repeated.

Amelia huffed but did what he asked. She hoped that Damon could contain himself. When Amelia got back to Elena, she had another cut on her hand and Bonnie was grasping onto her, muttering a spell. "Are you okay?" She asked Elena.

"Are they?" Elena responded shakily.

"Yeah, they're stuck in there with her." She told them. "Katherine had a witch link Elena to her."

Bonnie's eyes widened. "That girl I saw. Stay with her, keep pressure on her shoulder." Bonnie commanded Jeremy.

"Where are you going?" Jeremy asked her.

"There's another witch here - I'm gonna find her!" Bonnie yelled, taking off.

Amelia stayed with Elena and muttered her weak healing spell, over and over. Each time, Elena healed slightly, and each time, Amelia became slightly more weakened, feeling tired.

Jeremy slipped his ring off his finger and handed it to his sister while she performed her spell. "Here, take this." He demanded.

"Jer, no." Elena protested.

"Elena, listen, you need this more than I do." Jeremy tried to convince her.

"No, Jeremy, what I need is for you to be safe." She told him, sliding it back onto his finger. Jeremy frowned.

Amelia had just finished another round of the incantation and she told him, "Jeremy, she should be fine, soon." Amelia lifted up Elena's shirt from behind, showing him the wound that had healed significantly.

A little while later, Damon came up from behind them, carrying an unconscious Katherine Pierce. He explained to them everything that had happened. How Bonnie had convinced Katherine's witch to help them, and how he was going to lock up Katherine in the tomb for the rest of eternity, along with the moonstone.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Damon, I mean - look at what happened with the tomb vampires - they got out. And, what if we need the moonstone, eventually? Do we really want to risk that?" Amelia protested, feeling nervous.

"I don't care. Death is too easy for her - she deserves to rot." He seethed, walking away before she could argue anymore. Everyone else dispersed and she went inside to change out of her dress. She put the bulky dress in Caroline's car before leaning up against it, looking up at the stars. She was amazed at how vast the sky was, and how tiny it made her feel.

Amelia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she looked around to see a man in a sketchy clown masquerade mask standing right next to her. "What-." She began, but he slammed her head onto the car, knocking her unconscious.

That night, Caroline cleaned up Tyler's mess after he had accidentally killed Sarah. Jeremy gave Bonnie a ride home. Stefan and Elena talked, but she told him that they still couldn't be together, and Damon locked up Katherine in the tomb.

Nobody seemed to notice that Amelia Whitmore and Elena Gilbert had gone missing.


	32. S2 Chapter 8: Rose

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Eight: Rose**

**March 25, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore woke up that next morning with her head pounding. She groaned and tried to reach up to feel her sore head when she realized she couldn't. She opened her eyes, but all she saw was blackness. She frowned as she realized she had been blindfolded and tied up. She realized that she was laying on something soft - a couch maybe? She heard rustling right next to her and the sound of ropes being untied. "Why're you doing this?" Elena's voice asked from right next to her. "Please, I'm hurt." Elena begged.

"I know." A male voice responded from somewhere in front of her. "Just a taste…" He trailed off as Elena whimpered.

"No!" Amelia thrashed, trying to kick him with her tied legs. She actually managed to catch him on the head, hard. She could tell because of how much it hurt her foot, and how her bare, dirty foot tangled in his long hair.

"Trevor!" A female voice yelled. "Control yourself."

"Buzzkill." She heard him say. She felt a sharp pain and she groaned as a swift kick landed to her ribs.

"What do you want with us?!" Elena asked.

"My God, you look just like her." The woman said.

"But I'm not." Elena denied, shuffling on the couch. "Please, whatever you-."

"Be quiet!" The woman yelled.

"But I'm not Katherine. My name is Elena Gilbert. You don't have to do this." Elena negotiated with her. Amelia frowned feeling that Elena's weight had left the couch.

"I know who you are. I said be quiet." The woman yelled again, and Amelia realized that she had a British accent.

"What do you want?" Elena asked again.

Amelia gasped as she heard a slap and felt someone slam onto the couch, partially on top of her.

"I want you to be quiet." The woman said smugly.

Amelia waited until she heard the woman's footsteps walk away before she shook Elena, trying to get her to wake up.

"How's the doppelgänger?" Amelia heard the women's faint voice.

"Still passed out." Trevor murmured.

"You didn't touch her - did you?" She asked.

"Give me some credit." He scoffed.

"And the witch?" She asked.

"Still tied up and blindfolded." He responded. "So, you called him?"

It was silent for a moment and Amelia realized that Elena had begun to stir. "No, I called one of his contacts. You know how this works!"

"Did you, or did you not, get the message to Elijah?" He questioned.

Amelia held her breath. _Elijah_. The name sounded so familiar to her…

She felt Elena leave the couch. "Elena!" She breathed quietly.

Elena grasped her hand and said nothing, but she pulled the blindfold under her face. Amelia squeezed her eyes shut, feeling blinded from the dimly lit room. She slowly opened her eyes and noticed that Elena was on the other side of the room, trying to eavesdrop some more.

"They say he got it." The woman said.

"Wonderful, and what?" He asked. Amelia realized that this man _also_ had a British accent.

"And that's it, Trevor. He either got it or he didn't. We just have to wait." She said, getting impatient.

"Look, it-it's not too late. We can leave them here - we don't have to go through with this!" Trevor protested, sounding afraid.

Amelia looked around at the dusty room. The paint was peeling from the walls, and the furniture was ragged. Amelia thought that nobody had lived here for a long time.

"I'm sick of running." The woman emphasized.

"Yeah? Well, running keeps us from dying!" Trevor yelled at her.

"Elijah's old school. If he accepts our deal, we're free." Amelia heard a faint creaking noise. "You! There's nothing around here for miles. If you think you're getting out of this house you're tragically wrong - understand?" The woman had noticed Elena.

"Who's Elijah?" Elena asked boldly.

"He's your worst nightmare." She responded.

"Why am I here?" Elena asked.

"You keep asking these questions like I'm going to answer them." The woman responded.

"Why won't you?" Elena questioned.

"That's another one." She responded smugly.

Amelia couldn't see them, but it sounded like she was moving heavy furniture around.

"You got us, okay? It's not like we're going anywhere. The least you could do is tell me what you want with us." Elena tried to persuade her.

"I personally want nothing, I'm just a delivery service." Her heels click, click, clicked on the tile floor.

"Delivery to who? Elijah?" Elena questioned.

The woman laughed. "Two points to the eavesdropper."

"Who is he? Is he a vampire?" She asked.

"He's one of _the_ vampires, the Originals." She responded.

Amelia frowned. _The_ vampires? She had never heard of the Originals.

"What do you mean, 'the Originals?'" Elena asked.

"Again with the questions. Haven't the Salvatore's been teaching you vampire history?" She asked.

"So, you know Stefan and Damon?" Elena realized.

"I know _of_ them. A hundred years back, a friend of mine tried to set me up with Stefan. She said he was one of the good ones. I'm more of a sucker for the bad boys though, but, I digress." She chatted.

"Who are the Originals?" Elena insisted.

They were quiet for a moment before she responded. "Trevor and I have been running for five hundred years. We're tired. We want it over. We're using you to negotiate ourselves out of an old mess." The woman explained.

"But why me?" Elena asked, confused. "And why Amelia? Why do you need both of us?"

"Because you're a Petrova doppelgänger. You're the key to breaking the curse."

"Curse? The Sun and the Moon Curse?" Elena asked.

"So you do know your history." She commented.

"What do you mean, I'm the key?" Elena questioned. "The moonstone is what breaks the curse."

"No, the moonstone, is what binds the curse. The sacrifice is what breaks it." She informed her.

"Sacrifice?" Elena asked quietly.

"The blood of the doppelgänger. You're the doppelgänger. Which means, in order to break the curse, you're the one that has to die." She told Elena bluntly.

Amelia tried to slip out of her ropes, desperate to hear more. She became inpatient and finally burned the ropes on her wrists off, gritting her teeth through the pain before she could break through them. She rubbed her sore wrists before untying the ropes around her ankles.

She walked into the room that their voices had been coming out of and Amelia finally saw the woman. She was beautiful - tan, with a dark pixie cut.

"Okay, so, why am I here, then?" Amelia demanded.

The woman sighed. "Word on the street is that you're the one who looks like Rebekah - Elijah's sister."

"Does that mean… I'm her doppelgänger?" Amelia asked, concerned.

The woman frowned. "See, it gets so complicated. I've never heard of any doppelgängers outside of the Petrova line."

Amelia wondered if the man she had seen at the piano performance had been Elijah, or if that man was one of his minions. She recalled how he had laughed at her, and told her that she couldn't kill him. She hoped that he didn't mean that _literally_.

Trevor appeared from behind them, grabbing a large piece of plywood to cover one of the windows. "Captivity's made them pushy, eh?" He joked, looking at Elena. "What do you want to know, 'doppel-icious?'"

"Who are you running from?" Elena asked.

"The Originals." Trevor said simply.

"Yeah, she said that, what does that mean?" Amelia asked annoyed.

"The first family. The Old World." Trevor responded. He casually kicked a block of wood out of his way and Amelia flinched. "Rose and I pissed them off." He said, pointing at the woman.

"Mnm." The woman - Rose - denied.

"Correction, I pissed them off. Rose had my back, and for over half a millennium, they've wanted us dead." He said, tossing a book at the wall, bored.

"What did you do?" Elena asked quietly.

"He made the same mistake countless others did. He trusted Katerina Petrova." Rose explained.

"Katherine." Amelia muttered.

"Mm, the one and only." Rose agreed. "The first Petrova doppelgänger."

"I helped her escape her fate. And I've - sorry, we've - been marked ever since." Trevor corrected.

"Which is why we're not gonna make the same mistake again." Rose called from behind them.

Amelia was starting to feel panicky as she realized that they _really_ needed to get out of there.

She followed Elena back to the couch and sat down next to her, sighing. Elena frowned as she heard a crinkling noise and picked up a crumbled up piece of paper that hadn't been there before. Amelia leaned over and read the note: "Stefan and Damon are coming for you. -B"

Amelia breathed out a sigh of relief as she took the note from her and stuck it in her pocket so their captors wouldn't find it. The girls reveled in their silent happiness.

Amelia especially felt grateful. She knew that she might be able to get them out of there, but she was so worn down after performing so much magic yesterday that she wasn't sure she would be able to take down the two ancient vampires.

Her happiness didn't last very long though. A little while later, Trevor entered the room, speaking to Rose. "He's here. This was a mistake." He paced frantically.

"No, I told you, I'll get us out of this. You have to trust me." Rose soothed him.

"No!" Trevor yelled. "He wants me dead, Rose!"

"He wants her more!" Rose said, pointing to Elena.

"I can't do this! You give her to him. He'll have mercy on you. I need to get out of here!" Trevor yelled.

"Hey!" Rose yelled before growing quiet. "What are we?"

Trevor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We're family… forever."

"You're scared." Elena whispered.

"Stay here with her… and don't make a sound." She told him as they heard a banging sound. Rose disappeared and Amelia waited with Elena anxiously, wishing that she was home in her nice, warm bed…

Amelia stood up and hovered over Elena protectively as she paced. A few moments later, Rose entered the room, followed by Elijah who was indeed the same man that she had met at the performance with Damon. He was wearing a suit that was just as nice as the one he had on at the performance, as if he wore one everyday. His auburn hair was styled to a medium length, and his brown eyes flickered between Elena and Amelia before he blurred and appeared right in front of Amelia.

"What is she doing here? She has not been harmed?" He asked, his voice threatening.

"No! Of course not. I had heard rumors of a girl who looked like Rebekah… possibly her doppelgänger?" Rose rambled.

Elijah frowned. "She's not her doppelgänger - she just looks remarkably similar…" He trailed off, moving to stand in front of Elena.

Amelia watched in shock as he leant down towards her, as if to kiss her, before veering off to her neck…

Elijah sniffed. "Human." He agreed, his voice a soothing, melodious sound. "It's impossible." Elijah turned to Amelia and looked her up and down. "Hello, again, Amelia."

"How do you know my name?" Amelia asked him, keeping her voice steady as Elena trembled next to her.

Elijah smirked at her. "I've done my research. I told you I'd be in touch, didn't I?"

Elena looked at her strangely, wondering what he was talking about, and Elijah turned back to Elena. "Well, we have a long journey ahead of us. We should be going." Elijah told them.

"Please, don't let him take us!" Elena begged Rose who wouldn't meet her eyes.

"One last piece of business, and we're done." Elijah informed them, turning to Trevor.

"I've waited so long for this day, Elijah. I'm truly, very sorry." Trevor told him sincerely.

Elijah circled him like a predator. "Oh, your apology's not necessary." He said amicably.

"Yes, yes it is." Trevor disagreed. "You trusted me with Katerina, and I failed you."

"Well, yes, you are the guilty one. And Rose aided you because she loyal to you - that I honor…" Elijah stopped, standing right in front of Trevor. "Where was your loyalty?"

Trevor looked away before glancing back at Elijah. "I beg your forgiveness."

"So granted." Elijah told him calmly.

Trevor smiled and let out a relieved breath right before Elijah swung his arm and knocked his head clean off his body. Amelia held her breath in shock as Rose screamed and clutched at her chest. Elena gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "You!" Rose cried, walking towards Elijah.

Elijah took out a handkerchief and wiped his bloody hand. "_Don't_, Rose. Now that you are free." He commanded her.

Rose fell to her knees and sobbed over Trevor's body.

Elijah reached his hand out to them. "Come." He beckoned.

"B-but what about the moonstone?" Elena stalled, stumbling back.

"Elena!" Amelia hissed, and glared at her, trying to get her to be quiet.

Elijah became much more serious. "What do you know about the moonstone?"

"I know that you need it a-and I know where it is." Elena stuttered.

"Yes." Elijah murmured, waiting for her to go on.

"I-I can help you get it." Elena said.

"Tell me where it is." Elijah said smoothly.

Elena shook her head, "It doesn't work that way."

"Are you negotiating with me?" Elijah asked, amused, turning to look at Rose.

"It's the first I've heard of it." Rose denied, wiping tears from her face.

Elijah stepped closer to compel Elena, and he seemed to realize something. "What is this vervain doing around your neck?" Elijah seethed, tearing off her amulet and tossing it across the room. Elena gasped as he grabbed onto her and Amelia flung her hands out, sending him flying back.

"Don't touch her!" Amelia yelled, standing in front of her protectively.

Elijah stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes, frowning. Amelia flung her hands out again, and he paused, but he was stronger than she was. He walked forward slowly, pushing against the exhausting force that she was exuding. She panted as blood dripped from her nose and he grabbed onto her neck forcefully. His eyes landed on her talisman that had been tucked underneath her shirt, and he took it off her. "This does not belong to you." He informed her, releasing her as she backed away from him, rubbing at her sore neck.

"Yes, it does, actually." She responded snottily like she had heard Caroline talking to Liz before.

Amelia watched helplessly as Elijah grabbed onto Elena and compelled her. "Where is the moonstone?"

"Inside the tomb, under the church ruins." Elena responded.

"What is it doing there?" Elijah asked.

"It's with Katherine." Elena told him.

"Interesting." Elijah replied, releasing her.

Amelia looked up as they heard a crashing noise from upstairs.

"What is that?" Elijah questioned.

"I don't know." Rose responded, equally confused.

"Who else is in this house?" Elijah demanded.

"I don't know!" Rose repeated.

Elijah grabbed onto Elena in one hand, and Amelia in the other. "Move!" He yelled at Rose as he dragged them out of the room. Amelia struggled as much as she could, and she felt hope rise up in her chest as she saw blurs running around them.

Elijah pushed the girls behind him and they stumbled over to where Rose was standing.

"Rose." Elijah warned, glaring at her.

"I don't know who it is." She promised him.

A blur flashed across her vision again. "Up here." Amelia wanted to cry as she recognized Damon's voice.

"Down here." One of the Salvatore brother's taunted from below them as Elijah sped halfway up the stairs.

Amelia flinched as a wooden stake flew past her and into Elijah's hand. She tensed up as she felt strong arms grab onto her, and a hand pressed to her mouth. She blinked and Damon was standing in front of her, a finger in front of his mouth to get her to be quiet. She realized that he had taken her somewhere, and Elena was not with them. "Elena?" She mouthed silently to him.

"Stefan." Damon mouthed back.

"Excuse me? To whom it may concern, you're making a great mistake if you think that you can beat me. You can't." Elijah called out, ever so politely.

Damon disappeared and then Rose was standing next to her. "You hear me? You cannot beat me." Amelia frowned at Damon, wondering why he had grabbed her. She heard the sound of wood breaking from below them. "I want the girls, on the count of three, or heads will roll." Elijah promised them. "Do we understand each other?"

"I'll come with you. Just, please don't hurt my friends." Elena begged. "They just wanted to help me out." Amelia thrashed, trying to get out of Damon's grip.

Amelia heard Elena gasp loudly and Elijah's voice sounded closer than it had before. "What game are you playing with me?" He questioned, amused.

Amelia heard a loud explosion and the sound of Elijah screaming. She heard the sound of Stefan firing off several stakes at Elijah, before they must have gone tumbling down the stairs together. Damon gave her a look and he disappeared. Amelia took the opportunity to climb down the stairs, leaning around the banister as Damon stabbed Elijah in the heart with the wooden clothes rack. Amelia watched with mixed emotions as Elijah made eye contact with her before turning gray and dying. Rose came around the corner just then, before she ran away. Amelia hoped she had gone far, far away.

Damon looked like he was about to go after her, but Elena called down to him from the stairs. "Just let her go."

Elena looked at him gratefully before running down the stairs into Stefan's arms. "Hey, you hurt? You okay?" He asked her, hugging her tightly.

Amelia peered out from behind the banister, looking at Damon shyly. Her lips trembled and her hands shook as emotion overwhelmed her. One moment, Damon was looking up at her concerned from the bottom of the stairs, and the next, he was standing inches in front of her, his piercing blue eyes raking over her, noticing the bruise on part of her forehead and the blood cached in her hair, the light red burns on her wrists, and the angry red marks on her neck from where Elijah had grabbed her.

Damon swallowed and wrapped his arms around her small frame. Amelia immediately followed suit, wrapping her arms around his neck. She held onto him more tightly than she ever had, feeling comforted by his warm presence. "I was so afraid." She admitted, whispering to him. "I-I didn't know what to do. I couldn't think of a plan to get us out, so I just froze. And Elijah was just _so_ strong…" Amelia's voice broke.

"Shhh." Damon shushed her, rubbing her back. "You're okay now, I've got you."

"I was powerless… God, Damon, if he had hurt Elena… It would have been all my fault." She murmured into his shirt, feeling wretched.

Damon pulled back slightly and frowned at her, taking her chin in his hand. "Listen to me, Amelia. You are not perfect. This is not your fault, okay? Elijah was an extremely powerful vampire, and she was extremely old and powerful, too. There's nothing you could have done." He pulled her close to him again.

"That's what scares me." She admitted, mumbling into his shirt. Amelia peeked around Damon's arm to see Stefan looking at them, and she gave him a grateful smile.

Amelia insisted that Damon ride in the back with her, and he obliged, finally. She fell asleep wrapped up in his jacket, drooling on his shoulder.

When they finally arrived back to Mystic Falls, Amelia felt like she was in a daze. She stumbled up the stairs of the Gilbert house after Elena had insisted that she spend the night there. She had obliged reluctantly. She went upstairs and washed the blood out of her hair in the bathroom until she heard a knock on the door. "Hey, Amelia, we have pizza downstairs!" Jeremy informed her.

"Okay, thanks, I'll be down in a minute." She responded, her stomach growling hungrily. She threw her hair up into a ponytail and washed her face and hands before wandering down the stairs. She flipped on the lights into the dark living room and suddenly a bunch of people stood up.

"Surprise!" They yelled, blowing party horns.

"Surprise? What?" Amelia spluttered, crossing her arms.

Liz Forbes stepped towards her daughter in her uniform, concerned. "Today's March 25th, Amelia… your birthday?" She laughed nervously.

"Oh! Oh, my God, yeah…" She trailed off awkwardly, nervous as all of the people looked at her. "Sorry, crazy day." She grimaced, making eye contact with Elena. Amelia glanced around at the balloons and the presents that were sitting near the couch, feeling drained and wishing that she could go to bed.

Matt Donovan approached her, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, short-stuff!" He teased. "We've had this party planned for weeks and you almost ruined it!" He laughed.

"I-what?" Amelia frowned, unable to understand what he meant.

"Yeah, Elena had a hell of a time getting you here. Said that you were too busy studying at the library to come to your own party!" Matt explained.

"Oh…" Amelia chuckled, realizing that must be the cover story. Lots of people came up to chat with her: Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Stefan, Elena, Jenna, Alaric, Tyler, her lab partner, Brandon, Damon…

She mostly munched on food hungrily and nodded as they talked to her, not having much energy to socialize. Amelia was resting on the couch, trying to keep her eyes open when Jenna called, "Okay, time for cake!"

Amelia groaned silently as everyone cheered and went into the kitchen. Caroline pulled her through the crowd of people and sat her down in front of the cake as Liz lit the candles.

"Make a wish!" Damon winked at her, putting a kid's party hat on her, and snapping a picture with his phone as she glared at him.

Caroline nudged her and she thought about what to wish for… Finally, she blew out all seventeen candles, and the party-goers clapped for her.

Most of them seemed almost as tired as she was and she was glad when they sped things up. She felt uncomfortable as she sat in the living room and people handed her presents. Her lab partner gave her a pack of her favorite cinnamon gum as a joke. She chuckled, knowing that it would never make up for all of the gum that she had given him. Matt gave her a gift certificate to The Grill, and Amelia gave him an extra big hug, knowing that he didn't have a lot of resources. Tyler gave her an autographed football so that she could 'be rich someday when he played professionally.' Everyone had chuckled at that. Jenna and Alaric had thrown the party for her. Jeremy and Elena gave her a makeup kit, and Amelia had chuckled, knowing that Jeremy had not been involved in the gift. She had received a book on the history of Whitmore College that she couldn't wait to read from Bonnie. She had teared up when Liz and Caroline handed her a photo album. In the beginning, there were the few pictures that Amelia had of her and her parents, and then there were pictures of Amelia with the Forbes'. There were lots of pictures of Amelia, Caroline, Bonnie, and Elena. Towards the end, there were a few pictures of her and Damon, including the one Elena had taken of them at the fifties dance while they had been dancing. She only had time to skim through it but promised them she would look through it more carefully later. She gave them big hugs as Caroline chimed in, "Oh, and honorable mention to Elena and Bonnie, too! They helped us find some of the pictures."

Amelia smiled and the partygoers laughed as she hugged her friends for the second time that night.

Quickly after she had opened all of her presents, the guests began to leave. Amelia tried to help clean up, but Jenna had shooed her away, telling her that the party was her present to her and for her to go home and get some rest.

"I… Okay." Amelia gave in, leaving Liz and Caroline to help clean up. She walked out onto the porch, pulling her jacket on.

"Need a ride?" Damon asked her, following her out.

Amelia looked around, confused, and realized she didn't have her vehicle and did, indeed, need a ride. "Yeah," She admitted.

Damon frowned, helping her into the car. "Wow, you really are out of it." He teased.

"Shut up." Amelia murmured.

Amelia was almost asleep when they pulled into her driveway. Damon opened her door for her and held her hand, helping her out of his car. She fumbled with the keys before finally getting the door open. She turned on the bright light and couldn't comprehend what she was seeing in front of her.

In her living room sat a piano that she never thought she would see again. "Happy Birthday!" Damon smiled at her. "What, you really thought I wouldn't get you a present? I'm not that heartless." He scoffed, as if not getting her a birthday present would be far more atrocious than killing someone… Which to him it probably was, she realized.

Amelia frowned, she hadn't even noticed that he hadn't given her something. She really needed to go to bed…

"That's not - There's not way…" Amelia trailed off, getting a closer look at the piano.

"Yep." Damon confirmed, happily. "That's the piano your mother taught you to play on."

"But… how… I thought it had been auctioned off - lost forever…" Amelia stuttered, disbelieving.

"I tracked it down. I have skills." He winked at her.

Amelia wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, Damon. This, is just… amazing. It's too much, really-."

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't start with that." Damon protested. "Oh! Before I forget…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out her talisman. "I can't believe that _you_ had forgotten, actually…"

"I… wow. I can't believe I did either." Amelia frowned, shocked. "Thank you." She said, reaching out to take it from him. Before she could grab it, he pulled it back. Amelia held her breath, starting to become nervous. "Please give it back." She said nervously.

"I just have to say something." Damon shook his head, walking closer to her.

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" Amelia protested, stepping away from him.

Damon paused for a moment. "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfish thing I've ever said in my whole life." He admitted.

"Damon…" Amelia trailed off.

"I just have to say it once. You just need to hear it." Damon said, walking closer to her. He ran a hand through her hair and sighed as her light blue eyes looked up at him. "I love you, Amelia. And it's because I love you that… I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know all this. I don't deserve you." She stared at him, feeling dumbstruck as he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips. "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." He murmured, brushing her hair out of her face. "But you do." He compelled her, his eyes dilating before he placed the talisman around her neck. A small tear fell from his eye before he sped away.

Amelia looked around, gripping her talisman. She felt confused, dazed, and tired, and she couldn't remember how she had gotten it back. Soft fur brushed up along her legs and she glanced down to see Merlin looking up at her, meowing hungrily.

Amelia quickly fed him and dragged herself up the stairs. She flopped on her bed ungracefully and laid peacefully for a moment before she wiggled, frowning, as she felt something digging into her back uncomfortably. She sat up sluggishly, reaching behind her to find the offending object.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise at the neatly wrapped, thin box. The bow was mostly squished because she had laid on it. She unwrapped the present tentatively, confused as to who had given it to her.

She opened the box to find a bracelet. It looked to be very old, and made out of braided leather sans the metal plate in the middle that looked much newer than the bracelet itself. She ran her thumb over the smooth metal plate, only to realize that the back of it was rough. She flipped it over to see some word in a different language engraved into the metal. She brushed her thumb against the word, and suddenly, "Mikaelson," echoed in her thoughts.

Amelia shook her head, thinking she must be crazy. She glanced down to notice there was a small, folded piece of paper. She unfolded it, glancing around, feeling paranoid.

_I hope that you had a wonderful birthday._

_-E.M._

Amelia reread the note, trying to decipher who had sent it before giving up and crawling under her sheets. She fell into a deep sleep, void of dreams and nightmares, visions of the future, and memories of the past.

**A/N: Hi, everyone! This was one of my favorite chapters! Were you surprised by the ending? I'd love to hear feedback! -TeamComrade11**


	33. S2 Chapter 9: Katerina

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Nine: Katerina**

**March 26, 2010**

That next morning, Amelia's alarm went off far too soon. She opened her light blue eyes, squinting at the sunlight pouring through her window, and almost started crying.

She forced herself to get moving and get ready for school, and was about to walk out the door when her phone vibrated. She frowned and reached down to pull it out of her pocket.

Stefan: Can you come over? It's important.

Amelia groaned, realizing she was going to be late for school, and hopped in Sheila's old, beat-up ford.

She made a quick pit stop at a nearby gas station and decided to try an energy drink because she hated the bitter taste of coffee. She knew that if she didn't have _something_, she wouldn't be able to make it through the day.

She sipped on the fruity, sugary drink as she walked into the Salvatore Boarding House, not even bothering to knock. She blinked and suddenly Damon was standing in front of her. "Why, hello, Amelia." He gave her a smug smile. "I see you've forgotten the fine art of _knocking_." Amelia wasn't sure, but it seemed like Damon was looking at her strangely. Almost as if he was a little _sad_ about something, but he hid it well.

Amelia scoffed, tapping her foot. "Please, you're always showing up _in my room_, might I remind you, unannounced." She didn't give him a chance to reply as she looked around. "Is Stefan here?"

Damon ignored her. He took the energy drink out of her hand and scrutinized it, frowning. "What're you doing with this? I've never seen you drink one before."

Amelia grabbed it back from him. "I don't like coffee, so I had to resort to this to make it through today."

Just then, she heard a knock on the door and Damon went to answer it.

"Good morning, Elena." Damon practically sang.

Elena frowned at him and glanced at Amelia with her energy drink. "Is Stefan here? He called… said it was important?" She asked, not looking very excited to see Damon.

Damon opened the door more widely. "Right this way." He told her, gesturing with his hand.

Stefan stepped forward out of the shadows. "Hey, thanks for coming." He told them, giving them a small smile.

Elena adjusted the strap of her bag. "What is this about?" She asked him, getting down to business.

Amelia immediately tensed up and felt her heart begin to race as Rose, the vampire who had held her and Elena captive yesterday, stepped out of the shadows. She stepped forward, filled with anger, when Damon held a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Easy there, little witch. We can explain."

Elena stepped back, afraid. "You…" She whispered, looking accusingly at Stefan.

They found their way into the living room, but Amelia refused to have a seat - feeling on edge.

"Okay, you have to understand, I only know what I've picked up over the years, and I-I don't know what's true, and what's not true. That's the problem with all of this vampire crap. But Klaus, I know is real." Rose emphasized in her British accent (that Amelia found rather annoying, by the way.)

"Who is he?" Elena asked.

"One of the Originals. He's a legend." Damon explained, raising his eyebrows.

Stefan piped up, "One of the first generations of vampires."

"Like Elijah?" Amelia realized.

Rose shook her head. "No, Elijah was the easter bunny compared to Klaus. He's a foot soldier. Klaus is the real deal." She refuted her.

"Klaus is known to be the oldest." Stefan agreed.

Amelia felt so irritated. "Well, how do you know? If no one's ever even seen him, how do we know he's not exactly like Elijah? As a matter of fact, how do we even know he's real, and not some bedtime story to keep vampires in _line_?" She argued, glaring at Rose.

Elena interrupted her, "Okay, wait. So, you're saying that the oldest vampire, in time, is coming after me?"

Amelia felt like screaming. Of course Elena had to draw the attention back on her.

"No!" Stefan disagreed.

At the same exact time, Rose nodded, "Yes!" She said.

"What they're saying is, I mean, if what she's saying is true-." Damon began.

"Which it is." Rose argued.

"And you're not just saying this so that we don't kill you." Amelia interjected, crossing her arms.

Rose glared at her. "Which I'm not." She chimed in.

"Then we're looking at a solid… maybe." Damon concluded.

Elena nodded, looking overwhelmed. Amelia took a deep breath and tried not to be angry at her friend - she was doing her best.

Stefan jumped up and moved forward to comfort her. "Look, Elijah's dead, right? So, no one else even knows that you exist." He reasoned.

"Not that you know of." Rose piped up.

"That's not helping." Damon told her, frowning.

"Look, I've never even met anyone who's laid eyes on him. I mean, we're talking centuries of truth, mixed with fiction. I mean, we don't know what's real. For all we know, he could be some sort of stupid bedtime story." Stefan soothed Elena, agreeing with Amelia. He put his arm around her shoulder as he spoke to her.

"He's real. And he doesn't give up. If he wants something, he gets it. If you're not afraid of Klaus, then you're an idiot." Rose emphasized, looking at Amelia.

Damon stepped in front of Amelia protectively. "All right, we're shaking. You've made your point." He told Rose, frowning.

Elena stood up and readjusted her bag. "Where're you going?" Stefan asked her, confused.

"School." Elena responded. "We're late." She told him, glancing at Amelia.

Stefan stood up. "Let me, uh, let me grab my stuff - I'll go with you." He offered.

"That's okay… I know where it is." Elena denied harshly, leaving the room.

Damon leaned over and whispered to Rose loudly, "She's in denial."

Amelia and Stefan glared at him. "Shut up, Damon!" They said at the same time comically.

She was in a foul mood all day at school, unable to calm her jittery fingers and her racing thoughts. She immediately regretted drinking that energy drink, and vowed to never drink one again.

She thought is was strange that Elena had come to school late, only to go home after a few minutes because she didn't feel well. Amelia hadn't actually seen her, but that was the story Caroline told her. Amelia just hoped that Elena wasn't off doing something stupid.

At lunch she sat with Bonnie and caught up with her for the first time in a long time. Amelia thought about how close they used to be, and how she thought they would never be able to get that back.

Bonnie told her about the cute, dark skinned, new guy named Luka that she had met earlier that day. She explained to her that she felt drawn to him, even though she didn't know why.

Amelia was quiet for a moment, thinking about how she had felt drawn to Bonnie and Sheila. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if it was the same with Luka, but then an image of Damon Salvatore popped up in her head. "I don't know, Bon. Sometime's we're just drawn to certain people…" She trailed off, taking a huge bite of her macaroni and cheese. She couldn't stop jiggling her leg.

Bonnie frowned at her, and touched her arm. "I'm glad you're starting to fill out again. I know we weren't talking for a while, but I was so worried about you… You were starting to look sickly…" She told her, concerned.

Amelia frowned, feeling embarrassed. "Yeah, I had a bit of a rough patch, but I'm doing better now, I promise." She assured her, taking another bite for good measure, still bouncing her leg.

Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pocket.

Damon: Road tripping with Rose. Going to try to figure out more about the Originals. Wish me luck ;)

Amelia frowned, not liking that he would be spending so much time with her alone…

"Speaking of being drawn to people, what's up with you and Damon?" Bonnie asked her, giggling.

"Nothing." Amelia denied quickly. "Nothing's going on, Bonnie." She tried to change the subject. "What's up with Jeremy Gilbert following you around everywhere?"

"What?" Bonnie asked, surprised. "He's not - he's not following me around everywhere…" She denied. Amelia gave her a look. "We're just friends, Lia." Bonnie assured her.

"Hmm…" Amelia disagreed, taking a sip of her water, frowning when a little spilled on the table from her shaking hand. Bonnie looked at her in concern, and she reassured her before she could ask. "I'm fine, Bonnie. It's just this stupid energy drink I drank this morning… It's been making me so nervous." She admitted, taking a deep breath and forcing herself to stay still. "Hey, why don't we grab a bite to eat at The Grill tonight? I have the day off from work - might as well have some fun, yeah?" Amelia offered, smiling at the other witch.

"Okay." Bonnie agreed, sharing a smile with her.

After school, Amelia met Bonnie at The Grill. As they were walking in, Bonnie gave her an apologetic smile. "I hope it's okay, but I told Jeremy he could meet us here?" She told her sheepishly.

"Sure." Amelia agreed, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, Bonnie!" A voice to their right called. Amelia glanced over to see a dark skinned teenager sitting with an older man who looked like he was probably his father.

"Hey, Luka." Bonnie smiled at him, moving closer. "How was your first day?" She asked politely.

"It was great. Who's your friend?" Luka asked, smiling at Amelia.

Amelia stepped forward. "Hi, Luka, I'm Amelia Whitmore. You're in my biology class." She recalled.

"Nice to meet you, Amelia. I would like to introduce you ladies to my father." Luka said, gesturing to the older man.

Luka's dad stood up. "Hi, I'm Bonnie Bennett." Bonnie told him.

Luka's dad smiled at them both. "Dr. Martin - Jonas Martin. It's nice to meet you Bonnie Bennett and Amelia Whitmore." He said comically, smiling at them kindly. Amelia felt strange, almost as if they were familiar to her, but she also had a weird vibe. "Would you like to join us?" He asked, readjusting his glasses.

"Oh, we're, um, meeting a friend…" Bonnie trailed off, looking around. "But, he's not here yet, so… sure." Bonnie agreed, smiling at them.

Jonas gave his son a look. "Oh, yes, please, have a seat." Luka told Bonnie as he slid over. Jonas also slid over politely, and Amelia sat next to him, across from Bonnie.

"So, um, where'd you move from?" Amelia asked, trying to make small talk.

"Louisiana." Jonas told her.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "That's a big change." She exclaimed.

"I'll say." Luka said, tapping his fingers on the napkin dispenser.

Amelia was glad that she had finally calmed down. Now she felt exhausted though.

"It's not so bad here." Bonnie assured him.

Luka looked at her flirtatiously. "It's looking up." He agreed.

Amelia made eye contact with Bonnie and smiled at her, winking. It was obvious that Luka was into her.

"So, Bennet, huh? I knew some Bennett's when I did my residency in Massachusetts." Jonas began casually. "Do you have any family from Salem?"

Amelia held her breath and tensed up. Bonnie hesitated, before saying, "Actually, I do."

It was awkward for a moment and then Jonas turned to Amelia. "I knew your mother, Marcella Devereaux - she was a brilliant woman. You probably don't remember me, but I used to babysit you." He told her.

"Oh, wow…" Amelia trailed off, feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what to say.

_Was he a witch, er, warlock? Did he know that they were witches?_

"What do you know - small world, right?" Jonas laughed, and Luka chuckled uncomfortably.

Just then, Jeremy Gilbert walked in. "Oh, there's our friend!" She exclaimed, standing up. "It was nice to meet you, Dr. Martin." Bonnie told him.

"I'll see you at school." Luka told Bonnie, smiling at her.

Amelia gave Jonas a smile and shook his hand, freezing at the contact. An image of Elijah appeared in her head when she touched him and she pulled back in surprise. Amelia had no doubt in her mind, now. They had magic in their veins - she could feel it. She didn't notice Bonnie's similar reaction to Luka, how she felt a strange sensation when she touched him.

"Sorry I was late, you okay?" Jeremy said, asking Bonnie.

Bonnie glanced back at the Martins. "Yeah."

Amelia knew that she couldn't talk to Bonnie in front of Jeremy, so she promised to talk to her later.

She was surprisingly doing well, almost as well as Jeremy, in their game of pool. The memory of Damon teaching her in Georgia while she was drunk flashed through her head, and she felt a little glum, wishing that he was here with her, and not off somewhere bonding with Rose.

She pulled out her phone as Jeremy laughed at Bonnie's fluke and sent Damon a message.

Rose's friend, Slater, had just finished explaining to them how he gets in contact with Elijah - Craigslist.

"Really?" Damon asked, disbelieving.

"Seriously. I respond to a personal ad that gets sent to somebody who knows somebody who knows Elijah… who's dead. And that's where my connection ends." Slater said.

Damon's phone vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket.

Amelia: Playing pool at The Grill… wish you were here to see me kick ass ;)

Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise. Amelia almost never texted him first.

"Amelia? That must be Amelia Whitmore." Slater realized, knowingly.

Damon furrowed his brow. "What do you know about Amelia?" He ordered.

Slater took a sip of his coffee. "I know that she's a witch who lives in Mystic Falls. Her mother was Marcella Devereaux - only she was practically dropped on her doorstep when Amelia was like, five, if my calculations are correct… More recently, however, is that she looks like Rebekah."

"Like, her doppelgänger?" Damon asked, frowning.

"No, she's not a doppelgänger, but the resemblance is uncanny." Slater disagreed.

"Who is this Rebekah chick anyway?" Damon questioned.

"I don't know, but she must be someone important to Elijah, because he sent an order through the ranks for her not to be harmed." Slater informed him.

Back in Mystic Falls, Jeremy was teasing Bonnie. "Wow, you are bad." He chuckled.

Bonnie groaned. "I told you."

"Feel free to cheat if you need your dignity back." Jeremy joked, gearing up to shoot the ball.

Bonnie leaned down and tried to distract him, pushing him. "Come on, hit the ball!" She laughed.

"Hey, I've got winner!" Luka called, walking over next to Bonnie. Bonnie and Amelia sobered up immediately, and Luka looked at Amelia warily as she moved closer to Bonnie protectively.

"Okay, well get ready, 'cause this slaughter's almost over." Jeremy bragged, unaware of the supernatural that was going on.

"So where's your dad?" Bonnie asked conversationally.

"Nice!" Luka murmured as Jeremy nailed the shot. "Uh, I'll see him back home."

Amelia glanced across the room and noticed that Caroline and Stefan were eating together. Only, every once in a while, Stefan would try to get up to leave, but Caroline would say something to get him to sit back down. Amelia frowned, wondering what the deal with that was.

A few minutes later, Bonnie and Amelia were sipping on coke, giggling as Jeremy and Luka played. Amelia took another sip and glanced back over, only to realize that Luka had disappeared and that Jeremy was staring at Bonnie.

"Hey, guys." Luka greeted, sitting down next to them. "I'm sorry about earlier - about my dad. He wasn't very subtle with the whole, uh, Bennett-Salem question, and how he talked about your mom, Amelia." Luka screwed off the top of the salt shaker and poured some of it on the table. "He picked up on you two. He was fishing around. He didn't mean any harm." Luka promised.

"I felt something, too." Bonnie admitted.

"I know - that's why we're having this conversation right now. He, uh, doesn't like for anyone to know, but, we were both worried that you would… nail us." Luka explained. He looked around to make sure no one was watching and he raised his hand from the table, raising gains of salt with him, before dropping them.

Amelia felt the magic in the air. "What're you doing in Mystic Falls of all places?" She asked, not trusting him.

"We just want to fit in here. For once. It's tough, being different." He gave them a meaningful look.

"You're a witch?" Bonnie whispered, afraid to believe.

Amelia chuckled. "They prefer the term, warlock, Bon." She told her before looking to Luka. "Sorry, she's kind of a newbie." She joked and the trio immersed in laughter, spending the rest of the night chattering together. Amelia had no idea that Damon and Rose were sleeping together, or that Elijah had compelled Slater to stake himself, rendering him dead.

**A/N: Hey guys! So, I just got a review asking for Damon not to sleep with Rose, but I'm like half a season ahead of my postings! Sorry, we'll get to see the aftermath of that next chapter! -TeamComrade11**


	34. S2 Chapter 10: The Sacrifice

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Ten: The Sacrifice**

**March 28, 2010**

"Rise and shine, little witch." Damon's lips brushed up against Amelia's ear as he whispered to her.

"No…" Amelia moaned, protesting, and grabbing onto the sheets.

Damon yanked the blankets off of her easily, leaving her shivering in shorts and a tank top. "Cute pjs." He smirked at her.

Amelia muttered obscenities at him as she slammed the bathroom door shut and got in the shower.

After she had finished getting ready, Damon rode in the passenger seat with her over to Elena's house. "Why're we coming here again?" She questioned as she pulled into the driveway.

Stefan met them on the porch and he knocked on the door. A moment later, Elena opened it and Stefan said, "Hey, uh, can we talk?"

"Why?" Elena asked warily.

"We went to see Katherine." Damon explained.

Amelia glanced at him in surprise as Elena stepped aside, "Come on in." She said reluctantly.

Stefan and Damon explained what Katherine had said. "You don't actually believe her, do you?" Amelia protested, doubting that Katherine would just skip off into the sunset. "See, this is why we should have just killed her!"

"No, of course not. We just want the moonstone." Damon said, tossing an orange from the fruit bowl around.

"According to Rose's friend Slater, there's a way to destroy the spell that Klaus wants to break." Stefan explained.

"No spell, no doppelgänger sacrifice, ergo you live." Damon broke it down into simple terms for them.

"How do you destroy it?" Elena asked.

"By releasing it from the moonstone." Stefan explained.

"How do you guys even know this is gonna work?" Elena protested.

"'Cause we have a crafty witch on our side." Damon smirked, throwing his arm around Amelia.

"You never even asked me so I assume you discussed it with Bonnie?" Amelia asked, irritated.

"She agreed to do anything she could to help us." Stefan agreed.

"It's Katherine who has the moonstone - she's not gonna give it to you." Amelia protested.

"We're gonna get it from her." Stefan disagreed.

"Well, what he means to say, is that we will pry it from her cold, dead hand if we have to." Damon said.

"Bonnie and Amelia just need to find a way to release the seal long enough for us to get in, and get out in time for them to return it." Stefan told her.

Amelia protested. "You realize that the last time we tried this Sheila _died_, right?"

"By we, I assume you mean Bonnie and Sheila because you refused to participate, remember?" Damon goaded her.

"Yes, and for good reason." Amelia glared at him, officially pissed off. "Sheila was a more powerful witch than I'll ever be. This would be much easier if I just incapacitated her, and walked out with the moonstone - the one that _I told you_ not to leave in there with her - remember?"

"No, no, no. I don't think so." Damon protested, putting his lips together and shaking his head.

"Why not?" Amelia asked, crossing her arms.

"Because, you can't take on Katherine by yourself! She'll destroy you - and we won't be able to help." Damon argued, annoyed that she had even suggested it.

"I can take care of myself." She argued, muttering, "Dick," under her breath.

"Hey! I heard that." Damon grumbled.

Elena interjected, "Wow, I mean, it sounds like you guys already have it all planned out."

"Yep, we're awesome." Damon whispered confidently.

"Except for one thing…I don't want you to do it." Elena said. All three of them stared at her in confusion.

Stefan and Damon exchanged glances. "What are you talking about, Elena? We don't have a choice." Stefan asked, confused.

"What about Klaus?" Elena asked.

"We'll find him, right after we get the moonstone." Stefan explained, as if it were that simple.

"Is that before or after he kills everyone that I care about, including the three of you?" Elena questioned, looking at her friends.

"Elena, if we can de-spell the moonstone, we can save your life." Stefan explained, exasperated.

"Yeah, if…" Amelia muttered and Damon elbowed her.

"I know, everybody keeps saying that." Elena said, walking away.

Damon and Stefan left, and after much convincing, Elena and Amelia skipped school, driving to the Salvatore Boarding House instead.

"Elena, will you please just tell me what you need help with?" Amelia groaned from the passenger seat.

"I told you, I'll explain everything in a minute." Elena repeated, unbuckling her seatbelt and stepping out of the car. The pair walked inside, Elena not bothering to knock.

Rose came out to greet them, tying up her robe."It's not nice to leave a girl naked so early in the morning - woah." She said, realizing that they were not Damon. "Sorry, I thought you were -."

"I, uh, sorry, I-." Elena stuttered, refusing to look at Rose.

Amelia felt so irrationally hurt. She knew that Damon had the right to sleep with whoever he wanted to - it's not like they were together - but, it still hurt.

"Nope! I'm out." Amelia decided, turing to leave.

Elena grasped onto her arm with a surprisingly strong grip. "No, Amelia, you promised!"

Amelia groaned and turned back around.

Rose looked at her amused. "There's no one else here." She told Elena.

"Actually, I came to talk to you." Elena said awkwardly, still not looking at her.

"Then I should probably get dressed." Rose chuckled awkwardly, heading up the stairs.

Amelia tried not to think about her returning to Damon's room for her clothes.

Finally, she returned in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless top that she looked really good in.

"It's a bad idea." Rose said after Elena had told her plan.

"No, it's not. From what Stefan told me, your friend Slater obviously has more information about Klaus. And you and Damon just gave up before you got it." Elena argued.

"Because somebody blew up a coffee shop with us in it." Rose argued.

"There's more to learn. We just have to find a way to learn it." Elena tried to convince her.

"Why are you coming to me with this?" Rose asked, confused.

Elena shrugged. "Because you owe me. One word from me, and Damon and Stefan could have killed you for kidnapping me."

"Or, maybe it's because you know that they wouldn't want you doing this." Amelia interjected, crossing her arms.

"And their moonstone caper gives you the chance to sneak away." Rose realized.

Elena paused, not liking that they had figured her out. "We're having a disagreement, okay? They're willing to risk everyone that I love, and I'm not." She explained.

"They're just trying to protect you." Rose said.

"And you've proven that you can't care less whether I'm protected or not. So, we're back to you taking me to Slater." Elena persuaded.

"What exactly do you hope to achieve by this?" Rose asked her, sitting down next to Elena.

"How would you like to be able to walk during the daylight?" Elena asked Rose, looking at Amelia pleadingly.

Amelia gaped at her. _What the hell, Elena? _

She imagined Damon and Rose, walking on the beach, holding hands as the gulls called all around them. The sun illuminating the water droplets on Damon's skin, his damp, messy hair blowing in the breeze…

Rose glanced at Amelia before turning back to Elena. "I've been a slave to shadows for five hundred years. What do you think?" She asked her sarcastically.

"I think I know a witch who's willing to do whatever it takes to help." Elena negotiated, looking meaningfully at Amelia. "If you're willing to make a deal."

Amelia couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance between Elena and Katherine in that moment.

Elena looked at Amelia pleadingly. "Amelia? Are you in?" She asked.

Amelia thought about how they could possibly be in danger, but then she thought about how Damon had said she couldn't protect herself earlier, and how pissed off he would be when he found out what they had done… The image of Rose and Damon… together… kissing as they tried to get closer to each other… sealed the deal.

"Sure, okay." She agreed, feeling reckless.

The ride to Richmond was mostly silent. Amelia sat in the back, catching up on homework as Rose drove her tinted SUV.

Damon had sent her a text, asking where she was so she could help them with the plan, but she ignored it.

Elena tried to start a conversation with Amelia, but she kept blowing her off with one-worded answers, annoyed that she had made her promise to help her to begin with. She would be more careful with her words around Elena from now on.

After a few hours, they pulled into an indoor parking garage. The two teens followed Rose as she led the way up several sketchy flights of stairs, until she knocked on a wooden door that most of the paint had peeled off of. "Slater! Slater, it's Rose, open up!" Rose hollered in her British accent, banging on the door. Rose turned to look at the girls. "He's not home, sorry." She said, trying to get out of their agreement.

Elena put her hand up. "Mnm, no. We didn't come all the way out here for nothing." She argued.

Rose rolled her eyes, but she applied pressure on the doors until they burst open, breaking the chain that had been used to tie the together. Amelia thought that was very strange. How had Slater left if the doors were chained from the inside?

"After you…" Rose told Elena.

Amelia frowned at Rose's selfish behavior and walked in ahead of Elena, ready to protect her from any threat that came their way. "Slater?" Rose called out again, moving deeper into the spacious apartment. "I don't think he's going to be much help." Rose called to them. Elena and Amelia exchanged a brief look before hurrying over to Rose. They found a dead, staked vampire laying on the ground, who must have once been Slater.

Elena sighed, frustrated, and Rose pulled his body off somewhere. Amelia thought that it was strange she had been to upset over Trevor, but seemed to have no remorse for Slater.

"It looks like whoever blew up the coffee shop found him and killed him for his information." Elena said, leafing through stacks of paper on his computer desk.

"Yeah, probably to stop him from helping people like us." Amelia chimed in, peering over Elena's shoulder at the stacks.

"The guy was a vampire almanac. Knowing too much information just bit him in the ass." Rose stated.

Amelia gasped as Rose threw open the curtains. "What are you doing?" She asked, concerned.

"Tempered glass. U.V. rays can't penetrate." Rose explained. "But glad to know you care so much." She winked at her.

Amelia couldn't help chuckling. She had to admit, Rose was funny.

"I used to just come here and watch the day." Rose admitted, looking out the window.

Elena went back to shuffling through papers.

"I'm sorry about Slater." Amelia told her sincerely, thinking about when Sheila had died.

"Any luck?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

Elena shook her head. "Um, it's password protected, I can't get in." She said, trying to crack the code.

"No, that's just fine. Le-let's just go." Rose said.

All three of them whirled around as they heard a noise in the other room.

"Stay here." Rose told them, going to investigate.

Amelia stood near her friend protectively, on high alert. She suddenly wondered how Stefan would react if she let anything happen to her.

"Alice?" They heard Rose ask after she had opened the bedroom door.

"Rose. He's dead!" 'Alice' ran out and hugged the vampire.

Elena and Amelia exchanged a look. Apparently they knew each other.

Amelia helped Elena make some tea - mostly she watched as she avoided the crying stranger. Rose came over and said to them quietly, "She found him a few minutes before we did."

Elena poured the tea into cups. "How is she?" She asked.

"Overreacting, big time." Rose said coldly.

Amelia scoffed. "Her boyfriend just died."

Rose shook her head and disagreed. "Those tears are for her. She didn't care about Slater. She was only dating him long enough to see if he'd turn her."

Amelia raised her eyebrows in surprise, looking at the gothic girl in a whole new light. She stayed behind with Rose as Elena worked her magic with Alice.

"Thank you. You look really familiar." Alice told Elena as she handed her a cup of tea. "Did you know Slater?"

Elena shook her head. "Not personally, no. I just knew that he kept detailed records of all of his vampire contacts, and I was hoping that he could point me towards Klaus." She explained.

"Doubtful. Klaus doesn't want to be pointed out." Alice responded.

"Do you know Slater's computer password?" Elena asked bluntly.

"Are you seriously asking that right now?" Alice asked her, shaking her head. "I just saw my boyfriend with a stake through his heart."

"I understand that. Do you know his password?" Elena repeated coldly.

Alice turned away from her. "Who do you think you are?" She asked.

Elena looked at Rose meaningfully. "What if I could convince Rose to turn you?" She negotiated. Rose and Amelia looked at her, shocked. "Will you show us his files then?"

Alice nodded and happily skipped over to his computer. Amelia exchanged a look with Rose, realizing that Rose had been right about her. She easily unlocked Slater's computer. "Someone's been here, the hard drive's completely wiped out." Alice informed them.

"Yeah, probably by whoever killed him." Amelia suggested, crossing her arms.

"Lucky for you, Slater was paranoid. Everything's backed up on a remote server." Alice said, typing on the keyboard extremely quickly.

"You know that she's not going anywhere near my blood, right?" Rose murmured to Elena.

"I know… she doesn't." Elena said, walking away.

Amelia stared after Elena wondering what the hell had happened to her sweet, innocent friend.

"Kristin Stewart." Alice said, referring to Slater's password. "God, was he obvious."

"These are all links to vampires?" Elena asked, surprised.

"Slater was obsessed, almost as much as me. And it's not all vampires, there's some stuff about you, too… Amelia Whitmore…" Alice muttered, typing her name into the search bar.

Two files popped up. Alice clicked on one of them, a copy of an email sent out to all of Elijah's minions. It said that she was to be protected at all costs.

She clicked onto the second one. It was an article about an old legend that had been translated by some anthropologist at a college she had never heard of. There was drawing of a necklace that looked eerily similar to her own. The article told the story of the ancient, powerful witch and how she had contained her daughter's powers into the talisman, due to her being unable to control them properly.

Amelia thought about her dreams, and the blonde woman who called herself her mother.

Elena reached over and clicked out of the screen, "Let's get down to business, shall we?" She said.

Amelia was taken a back by her. She scoffed and left the room, needing to cool down. Why was Elena acting like this? She had found some information on herself, but Elena was too selfish to allow her five minutes to study it?

Amelia ended up going outside to get some fresh air before she eventually found her way back up to Slater's apartment. When she came back, Alice seemed excited, Rose seemed annoyed, and Elena wouldn't look her in the eye.

Amelia ignored them and worked on her homework, losing track of time. She gasped when a strong hand grasped onto her arm and yanked her out of her chair. "Ouch, Damon?! What're you doing here?" She pulled away from him, rubbing her sore arm.

"What are you doing here?" Damon retorted, crossing his arms and glaring at her.

Elena walked into the room, and so did Rose. Elena spun around and spoke to Rose."You called him?" She asked, angry.

"I'm sorry, Elena." Rose apologized.

"You said that you understood." Elena said.

"She lied." Damon responded as Alice walked into the room, sounding like a fan girl.

"Damon Salvatore…no way!" Alice gawked.

"Get rid of her." Damon commanded, and Rose led her out of the room.

"Come on, we're leaving." Damon told Amelia and Elena.

"What, why?" Amelia asked confused.

"Oh, don't act like you're not involved in Elena's little suicide mission!" Damon berated her. "God, I can't believe how _stupid_ you are!" He bellowed at her.

Elena glared at Damon and stepped in front of Amelia who had hurt look on her face. "Stop it, Damon. She doesn't even know, okay?"

"Know what?!" Amelia yelled, confused and angry.

Elena sighed. "I had Alice call one of Slater's contacts so that I could surrender myself to Klaus."

"You… what?" Amelia asked, unable to comprehend what she had said.

"Come on, we're leaving." Damon said again, nodding his head toward the door.

"No." Elena shook her head.

"I said we're leaving." Damon glared at her, leaning in closer.

"I'm not going with you." Elena said firmly.

"You do not get to make decisions anymore. And for the record, neither do you, little witch." He emphasized, annoyed.

"When have I ever made a decision? You and Stefan do that for me. Now this, this is my decision." Elena emphasized.

Damon shook his head, wanting to punch something. "Who's going to save your life while you're out making decisions?" He asked.

"You're not listening to me, Damon. I don't want to be saved. Not if it means that Klaus is going to kill every single person that I love." Elena argued.

"Get your ass out the door before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you myself." Damon threatened.

"Elena, come on, let's go home." Amelia tried to persuade her.

When she didn't respond, he grabbed onto her arm, but she pushed him away. She tried to punch him, but he caught her hand. "No!" Elena said childishly.

Damon leaned in closer to her, and for a second, Amelia thought that he might kiss her. Damon glared at Elena, his face inches from hers. "Don't you ever do that again." He threatened before releasing her as Elena gasped, frightened.

Rose, Elena, and Amelia were sitting in the living room as they waited for Damon. "Time to go." He said, coming out of the bedroom that Alice was in. "Alice is soundly sleeping and won't remember a moment of this horribly stupid day." Damon informed them.

The girls stood up in surprise and Damon spun around as the front doors burst open and three men strolled in. "We're here to meet the doppelgänger." The man in the front said.

Elena tried to step forward, but Amelia grabbed onto her wrist, stopping her. "Thank you for coming." Elena greeted.

Amelia leaned down and whispered in Elena's ear. "I will break your arm." She threatened, seething.

"There's nothing here for you." Damon told them.

Amelia tensed up in surprise as one of the men dropped to the ground, dead. Behind him, Elijah stood, looking murderous and perfectly alive.

Elijah blurred into the room as Rose ran away.

"I killed you. You were dead." Damon said, disbelieving.

"For centuries now." Elijah agreed. "Who are you?" He asked two of the minions politely.

"Who are you?" The man responded crudely.

"I'm Elijah." He stated, smiling at the terrified expression on his face.

"W-we were going to bring her to you, for Klaus. She's the doppelgänger. I don't know how she exists, but she does. Klaus will want to see her." He said, terrified.

"Does anyone else know that you're here?" Elijah asked him casually.

"No." The man said, confused.

"Well, then, you have been incredibly helpful." Elijah told him before he reached into their chests and ripped their hearts out. Elena gasped as he dropped their hearts onto the floor. Damon stepped in front of the girls protectively as Elijah cleaned his hands off with a handkerchief. Elijah spoke to Damon. "I left you with my sister because I thought you could protect her, but now I see that I was wrong."

Amelia felt nauseous as she realized she was now standing next to Elijah. He must have grabbed her.

"Do not fret too much, I shall return her after we have a little… chat." Elijah informed him. Damon's concerned, piercing eyes met her wide, gentle ones before the world turned into a blur and Elena and Damon were left alone, standing in shock.

Amelia squirmed and struggled in his grasp as he ran with her. "Let go!" She gasped, sending out a huge burst of power. She must have caught him off guard because she went crashing to the ground, rolling on the pavement. She stood up shakily, ignoring the sting in her knees and hands. She glanced around, her heart racing, as she looked for him.

"That was not very smart." Elijah's smug voice called as he appeared behind her. Amelia spun around, looking at him with wide eyes. "Now you're injured." He stated, taking one of her scraped-up hands in his.

Amelia jerked her hand from his. "I want to go home, Elijah. I've had enough of this - this game that you're playing." She demanded, sounding more confident than she felt.

Elijah looked at her fondly. "Ah, sister, how you remind me of our mother." He said, a small smile on his face as memories played through his head.

Amelia frowned and shook her head in disbelief. "I'm not your sister. I can't be - it's impossible. You're a vampire!" She argued, gesturing to him with her hands.

"Yes, but I was not always a vampire." Elijah explained. "Our mother, Esther," _Esther_, _the name sounded so familiar to her. Where had she heard it before? _"Well, I am not entirely sure on the details, but she told us you had died. This was before I was born, so, of course, I had only heard whispers of you from our siblings… She performed a spell on you - putting you into a deep sleep for centuries… And now, here we are."

Amelia stilled her shaking hands and took a deep breath. "Am I Rebekah? This girl everyone keeps saying I look like?" She asked boldly, not wanting to hear his answer.

Elijah chuckled and shook his head. "No, no, although you look uncannily similar."

Amelia sank down to her knees and focused on remembering to breathe. "I can't believe this is true… Why should I trust you?" She asked, staring at the cracks in the pavement. She observed the grass that sprouted there - the unlikely life that somehow managed to survive.

Elijah knelt down next to her and lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. "Because, I am your brother, Freya."

Amelia Whitmore sat in front of the piano in the Forbes' living room. _Her_ piano, _her_ living room, she reminded herself. She felt so unsure of herself again, and she hated it. She remembered feeling this way when she was in a new foster home every other month, and it was the worse feeling in the world.

Amelia felt a slight breeze behind her and she closed her eyes, sighing.

"What the hell, Amelia?! I've been looking everywhere for you! You couldn't have returned my calls?!" Damon yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, not looking at him.

"Yeah? Well, sorry's not good enough!" He bellowed, his long hair falling in his eyes. Amelia glanced up at him and flinched as he stepped towards her. Damon froze and immediately felt bad. He slowly sat down on the bench next to her and held open his arms. "Come here," He murmured, and she tentatively wrapped her arms around him.

"I used to be like that, too, you know." Damon said quietly, releasing her and playing a slow tune on the piano. "When I was a child, my father, he… he would hurt her - my mother. For the longest time I thought it was just the way it was - how husbands treated wives… until one day I realized it wasn't, and I stood up to him." Damon told her, playing the tune perfectly. "He started taking his anger out on me after that. I remember when I was twelve, it was Thanksgiving, and he thought I had stolen money from him…" Damon paused, the last note lingering in the air. He rolled up his sleeve and showed her a circular, discolored scar on his upper arm that she had never noticed before. "He burnt me with his cigarette."

"Oh, Damon…" Amelia breathed, running her hand down his arm, hating that his father had hurt him.

She took a deep breath and stood up, lifting the bottom of her shirt slightly. She pointed at the small, circular scar on her right side. "I snuck into one of my foster home's fridges that night… I was so hungry, and they wouldn't let me eat much. Th-they were always yelling at me, telling me I was fat. I hadn't realized that my foster father had been outside smoking a cigarette at the time. He came inside just as I had taken a bite of the sandwich I had made… and, well…" She trailed off, putting her shirt down.

They were quiet for a moment before Damon asked her what had happened with Elijah. She took a deep breath and explained to him everything he had said. How he had told her he was her brother. Damon scoffed, "He's probably lying."

"Unless he's not." Amelia said quietly, as she played one of the songs her mom had taught her. She faltered and the instrument made a terrible sound when he told her the Stefan was stuck in the tomb. "What? Oh, my God, what did I miss?"

Damon explained to her how Jeremy had tried to get the moonstone himself, and how Katherine had fed on him several times. Bonnie had tried to lift the seal on the tomb, but she hadn't been strong enough. Katherine had attacked Jeremy again, and Stefan had run inside, saving him.

Amelia immediately felt guilty. "I should have been there… Maybe Stefan wouldn't be stuck in the tomb…" She realized.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you should have." He said mercilessly. "But no, instead, you were helping Elena with her suicide mission!" He stood up and began pacing, irritated.

Amelia stood up and glared at him, her fists clenched. "I told you, I didn't know what she was planning! She told us that she just wanted to get more information."

"You were so reckless, Amelia! You could have gotten yourselves killed." Damon berated her, still pacing.

"Well, I didn't okay? I wanted to prove you wrong after what you said earlier. I can take care of myself, Damon." She argued, crossing her arms.

Damon paused. "Apparently you can't! If I hadn't shown up, Elena might be with Klaus right now, and Elijah would still have you!" He yelled.

Amelia scoffed. "You're so full of shit, Damon! You're just upset because Elijah took me and you _couldn't do anything_. Even if you hadn't shown up, Elijah still would have killed those minions, and he still would have returned me, so don't play that bullshit. Elena would still have made it home safely." She reasoned, knowing that he was being illogical.

"Urgh!" Damon yelled, throwing her text book across the room as pages fluttered out.

"You know what? Why don't you just go crawling back to Rose, hm?" Amelia yelled, angry and upset. She could feel Damon's anger and it just made her more amped up.

"I don't want Rose, Amelia, don't you understand?!" Damon groaned, tugging at his hair.

"Then what do you want, Damon?!" Amelia yelled throwing her hands in the air.

Damon strode over to her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to hers. Amelia stood frozen in shock for a moment, before she relaxed and leaned into the kiss. She tentatively looped an arm around him, running her other hand through his hair.

He pulled away from her slightly, his breathing heavy. "I want you, Amelia. I'll always want you." He breathed, running his hand through her hair.

Amelia didn't have a chance to respond as the light flipped on and Caroline Forbes looked at them in shock. Amelia immediately stepped away from him and smoothed out her wrinkled clothes, feeling flustered. "Oh, wow, um, sorry, um, I just, um, sorry!" Caroline squeaked before blurring into her bedroom.

Damon grabbed her hand as she turned to go upstairs. "What you did today was incredibly stupid." He reminded her.

Amelia groaned. "Damon, please, I don't want to fight anymore." She pleaded, walking away from him.

Amelia shut her bedroom door and closed her eyes, sighing, before she turned around. Damon was sitting on her window sill. "I think we should talk about what just happened." He said.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, avoiding his eyes.

Damon groaned, "Come on, Amelia, don't do this to me again. I didn't imagine you kissing me back."

"So? What of it, Damon? You're not going to change. God, you just slept with Rose, like, this morning!" She said.

"Rose means nothing to me, Amelia, I swear. Please, give me a chance?" Damon pleaded, grabbing her hands in his.

Amelia stepped away from him, crossing her arms. "I-I need some time to think about this, Damon."

Damon nodded slowly, a hurt look on his face before he disappeared. The only trace of him was her open window and the curtains that waved from the breeze.

**A/N: *hides***


	35. S2 Chapter 11: By the Light of the Moon

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Eleven: By the Light of the Moon**

**March 30, 2010**

"Now that you've got this back, what are you gonna do with it?" Elena Gilbert asked her two friends, Bonnie and Amelia, holding up the moonstone.

Bonnie and Amelia were huddled over a grimoire on Elena's bed. "Right now, it's what's binding the Sun and Moon Curse. If we can figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone, the stone becomes useless." Bonnie explained.

Amelia still thought that they should be focusing on getting Stefan out of the tomb, but she said nothing.

"And, according to Katherine, Klaus becomes vengeful." Elena reminded them.

"'_According to Katherine._'" Amelia emphasized, reminding her how manipulative Katherine is.

"Maybe, if he finds out." Bonnie agreed.

"Bonnie, can't this wait? Stefan is stuck in the tomb with Katherine - we've gotta get him out!" Elena protested.

Amelia silently agreed with her. "Stefan wants us to focus on this." Bonnie argued.

"Well, don't listen to him. He thinks he's protecting me, but he's wrong." Elena tried to convince her.

"I'm taking Stefan's side on this one. I'm not gonna let you get used in some creepy sacrifice ritual." Bonnie told her.

Elena noticed that Amelia hadn't said anything. "Well, what do you think, Lia?" She asked, hoping that she would be on her side.

Before Amelia could answer her, Jeremy opened the door and walked inside. "What are you guys arguing about?" He asked.

"Not arguing about anything." Bonnie dismissed, putting the moonstone in her bag on the bed as she stood up and left the room saying, "I need a coffee."

"Er, yeah, me too…" Amelia bolted.

"I know you hate coffee!" Elena yelled after her, but Amelia pretended she didn't hear her.

She waited at the bottom of the stairs with Bonnie for a moment until they heard pattering footsteps down them. "Where are you going?" Bonnie asked Elena.

"Um… to see Stefan." Elena said.

"You're lying." Bonnie and Amelia said at the same time.

"No, I'm not." Elena denied, trying to move past them, but Amelia stepped to the side.

"Really? Tell your face." Bonnie told her.

"Are you serious?" Elena asked.

Just then, Jeremy came down the stairs. "She took the moonstone." He announced showing them Bonnie's empty bag. Amelia groaned, really wishing that she hadn't.

"How did you-?" Elena began.

"We tested you." Bonnie explained.

"And you failed." Amelia said, frowning.

Elena looked at them before glancing up at Jeremy, feeling desperate. "Klaus killed Katherine's entire family just because she crossed him. I can't let that happen." She pleaded with them.

Bonnie stepped aside and Elena attempted to leave the house, only to hit an invisible wall. She tried to break through for a moment before turning to look at the witches. "What did you do?" She demanded.

"It's for the best, Elena." Amelia murmured.

Amelia stood with Bonnie as she knocked on the Martin's door. They looked around nervously until Luka opened the door. "Hi," Bonnie said sheepishly, holding up Luka's necklace that she had used to channel him.

Luke took his necklace back. "I don't know what makes me more upset - that I showed you how to channel… or, that you almost killed me." He said bitterly.

"Luka, I am so sorry." Bonnie apologized. "I wouldn't have done what I did unless it was really important. It's just that there's things that I-."

"I forgive you." Luka interrupted her, opening the door to let them in.

"What? Just like that?" Amelia asked, not believing him.

"I was always taught not to hold grudges." He said simply, following them inside.

"Wow, so much stuff. What is that?" Bonnie asked Luka, taking the book from his hand. "Is that a grimoire?"

"They're all grimoires." Amelia realized, shocked, as she looked around the room in wonder. So much information…

Bonnie looked to Luka for confirmation and he nodded. "How'd you get all these?" She asked, wandering around the room.

"Well, witches all around the world have collected their spells in grimoires, but over the centuries, most of them have gotten lost, and my dad is obsessed with finding them, and making sure that our family's heritage stays intact." Luka explained.

"These can't all be your families." Amelia disagreed, leafing through a nearby grimoire.

"Well, the way he sees it, all witches are family. We're all bonded together by a code of loyalty to help each other." Luka told them.

Amelia looked at him in disbelief - Sheila had always told her the same thing when she had questioned why she was helping her.

"So that's why you've been so nice to me." Bonnie laughed.

"That's one reason." Luka flirted with her.

Bonnie smiled at him, and Amelia interrupted their love fest. "Listen, do you know how to break the bind between a talisman and a spell?" She asked him.

"Uh, well, that depends, because spells are unique and very specific." Luka said, as if he were explaining it to a child.

"I know that." Amelia told him, irritated.

Luke glanced at Bonnie who was giving him a pouty look. "But, uh, I'm sure we can figure it out." He said, smiling at her.

A little while later, Amelia was helping Luka and Bonnie set up candles on the balcony. She glanced up at the sky, looking at the full moon worriedly, and hoping that her sister would be okay.

She noticed that Bonnie was lighting all of the candles with a match, and she grew frustrated, lighting them with her mind.

Bonnie gave her a look and Luka was reading the grimoire. "Yeah, this is really good. It's a clear view of the moon. And, uh, it's private." Luka told them.

Amelia and Bonnie joined him inside the candle circle, sitting cross-legged. "If anyone looks up, they're gonna think we're insane." Bonnie complained.

Luka leaned in closer to her. "Aren't we?" He whispered, flirting with her. He leaned back. "So, uh, what's this mysterious talisman we're unbinding?"

Bonnie pulled the moonstone out of her pocket and handed it to him, while Amelia scrutinized him. "Oh, wow, a white rock, fascinating." He joked, playing with it.

"Hey, I know it doesn't look like much…" Amelia told him.

"What's it spelled with?" He asked.

Amelia gave Bonnie a threatening look and was glad when she didn't say anything.

"Really? Help a girl out, and she still keeps secrets." Luka complained.

"I'm sorry." Bonnie apologized sincerely.

"I'm just teasing." Luka said, laughing.

The three of them exchanged a glance before they all held hands, also holding onto the moonstone.

"Phasmatos Tribum Unum…" They began to chant. They grew louder as the candlelit flames grew taller. Bonnie and Luka exchanged smiles.

Amelia looked up in surprise as the moonstone floated upwards into the night sky, before it exploded into a million pieces. Bonnie laughed as the fireworks fell down on them.

Late that evening, Amelia was sitting at her desk, trying to study for her upcoming biology test, when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. She stood up, confused, and opened her door to see Damon. They were silent for a moment before Damon awkwardly said, "Hi…"

Amelia pulled him into her room and glanced around the hallway before shutting the door. "Damon, what're you doing? Liz didn't see you did she?" She fretted.

"No, of course not, I'm a ninja, Amelia." He joked before turning more serious. "You're always complaining about me not knocking… I'm trying here." He emphasized before pulling her to sit with her on the bed. "But, listen, that's not why I'm here. I… wanted to check in on you - make sure you're okay. There's another werewolf in town, and she bit Rose." He explained.

"Oh, my God, is she okay?" Amelia asked, concerned. She felt bad that she had been so mean to her.

Damon hesitated, "I thought so, at first. She healed… but, then the wound came back, and it looks all infected and gross… Anyway, how did your little witchy adventure go?" He changed the subject, eager to find out what had happened.

"Good… great, actually. We really did it. We destroyed the moonstone." Amelia told him, smiling.

"Finally, some good news." He groaned, flopping down on her bed.

Amelia's phone dinged, and Damon picked up her phone before she could, a frown on his face. "Damon, give me my phone." She ordered, trying to grab it away from him.

Damon ducked out of her reach. Amelia glared at him and reached her hand out, catching Damon off guard as the phone flew out of his hand and into hers.

Elijah: You can reach me at this number if you are ever in danger. Please call me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss our next meeting. I would like to speak with you.

Amelia's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she read the text message and Damon looked at her irritatedly. "Stupid vampires…" She muttered running a hand through her hair stressfully.

"I don't like this." Damon stated. "He's probably just using you."

Amelia couldn't control her rage at his comment. A huge crack appeared through her mirror, surprising the both of them. "You mean like you did?!" She growled, trying to calm herself, turning away from him.

He was suddenly standing right in front of her. "I can only apologize for that so many times, little witch." He told her glumly, resting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm not claiming to be perfect, trust me… but, I'm trying to do better." He promised.

Amelia took a deep breath and glanced at her cracked mirror. She chuckled bitterly at their broken reflection. _Oh, the irony…_

After Amelia had fallen asleep that night, she had a dream that she was a little girl, playing in the woods with her brother.

_She hid behind a large rock, her tangled hair falling in her face. She carelessly wiped it out of her face, only to squeal as her brother tapped her on the head. "Ha ha, Freya, I caught you!" He giggled. _

_Freya pouted, and huffed. "No fair, Finny! I was not ready." She complained, crossing her arms. She looked up and noticed that the sun was much lower in the sky than she had thought, beginning to sink over the horizon. "Oh, no, Mother will be so angry!" She realized, taking off running back to the house. _

_Her little brother trailed behind her, unable to keep up with her longer legs. His tangled hair blew back behind him, snagging on tree branches. _

_Freya attempted to brush the leaves and dirt off of her clothes, but knew it was hopeless._

_"Father!" She exclaimed in surprise, sliding to a halt in front of their home. A moment later, Finn ran her over and they went tumbling to the ground. _

_The tall man turned around, rubbing his chin. He glared at them for a moment and Finn averted his eyes. Freya pouted up at him, making her eyes nice and round. Mikael looked at his two children for a moment and Freya was beginning to think they were goners until he burst into laughter, resting his hands on his knees as his bellows echoed through the trees._

_"Mikael? What is this?" Esther exclaimed, her hands on her hips as she hurried out of the house. _

_"'Tis nothing, Esther." Mikael told her, lifting his daughter up and tossing her in the air before catching her. Freya squealed and laughed._

_Esther looked her children up and down, frowning and shaking her head. "Shall a day ever pass without you two coming home looking like you took a mud bath?" She asked irritated. _

_"Oh, let the children be children, Esther." Mikael chided, watching as they chased each other in the clearing. _

_Esther sighed and walked inside, wondering when Mikael would learn to stop spoiling his daughter. _

**A/N: Thank you for all of the kind reviews!**


	36. S2 Chapter 12: The Descent

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Twelve: The Descent**

**March 31, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore sat next to Rose as she told her and Damon her life story. Amelia nodded and asked questions, trying to ignore her pestering headache.

"I was born in 1450. That makes me five hundred and sixty years old." Rose told them.

Amelia hesitated, trying to be cheerful. "If you were a bottle of wine…" She trailed off, smiling at the injured vampire.

"So, I can die. I've lived long enough." Rose stated.

"You know, if you're going to be maudlin, I'm just going to kill you myself just to put me out of your misery." Damon joked, pouring her a glass of blood from a blood bag.

Amelia cringed, disliking the sound of the thick blood falling in the glass. She didn't bother to admonish Damon, it was just how he was.

"Come on, it's just a little werewolf bite." Damon prodded, handing her the glass.

"Just a little _fatal to a vampire_ werewolf bite." Rose corrected in her British accent, chuckling.

"Well, according to legend which is a notoriously unreliable source…" Amelia said optimistically.

"Drink up… blood heals." Damon told Rose, gesturing to her untouched glass.

Rose sighed but drank the whole glass before pausing for a moment. "Yeah, it does feel like it's working." She said.

"Let's have a look, come on. Let me see." Damon suggested, pulling her jacket down from her shoulder.

Amelia forced herself to stay silent as she and Damon exchanged a look at the wretched looking wound on her shoulder.

"How is it?" Rose asked worriedly.

"Definitely… better." Damon lied, grimacing behind her back. Amelia said nothing and he elbowed her.

"Ouch!" She muttered. "Er, yeah… much… better…" She said. Maybe if she squinted at it a bit more…

"Right Elena?" Damon called looking up.

Amelia glanced up as well, noticing that Elena had just entered the room. "It's not bad." Elena lied, trying to make Rose feel better.

"Where's Stefan?" Amelia asked, trying to change the subject.

"He left." Elena told them before making eye contact with Damon. "I need you to talk to him. He's convinced that he has to find Isobel, but I think that's going to upset Elijah."

"No can do." Damon told her, refilling Rose's glass. "I'm with Stefan on this one. But, if you two could play nurse for a little while…" He trailed off.

"It's not necessary." Rose objected.

"It is necessary. Amelia's a do-gooder. It's in her nature - she just can't resist. And Elena, don't even get me started on saintly Elena…" He joked, leaving the room.

Amelia gave Rose a small smile before following after Damon and Elena. "Damon, is she gonna die?" Elena whispered.

Amelia frowned - did they forget that Rose was a vampire with super-hearing?

"Probably." Damon whispered. "The wolf bite caused some kind of infection. It's getting worse."

"Like poison?" Elena asked.

"I don't know, Elena. I'm not an expert in the field." Damon said, annoyed.

"I'm sorry." Elena told him, touching his arm.

Amelia glared at that arm as Damon responded. "Death happens. We come, we go. Sooner she dies, the better. It's gloomy as hell in here."

Amelia and Elena watched him leave in shock, disbelieving that he could be so heartless.

"I hate this." Rose complained as the girls helped her into bed. "I'm a vampire. I haven't had a cold in five centuries.

"Just get in bed." Elena advised, helping her out of her jacket.

"We don't get sick. When we die, it's fast and sudden and it's certainly not drawn out with an illness." Rose explained.

"You're not gonna die." Elena denied as Amelia tucked her in.

"Such a human thing to say." Rose said, observing the girls. "You've never been in Damon's room before, have you?" Rose asked Elena as she looked around uncomfortably. Rose looked at Amelia. "But you have."

Amelia said nothing as Elena looked at her questioningly. Elena picked up one of the books near his bed, "Gone with the Wind," it read. "Not what you expected?" Amelia murmured to Elena.

"It's just a room with a bed. Maybe I expected there to be silk sheets." Elena responded, making Rose laugh. Amelia opened her mouth, and almost informed her that he didn't need silk sheets with his silk boxers, but then she thought otherwise, slamming her mouth shut.

"You're lucky, you know." Rose told the girls. "No one's ever loved me the way you're loved."

Amelia frowned. "What're you talking about?" She asked.

Rose scoffed. "You can't tell me you have no idea Damon's completely in love with you?" She asked, shaking her head.

"I doubt that." Elena said, thinking about how heartless Damon was. He wasn't capable of love.

Amelia misinterpreted what she had said and her shock from Rose's comment turned into irritation. She assumed that Elena was trying to slight her - that she didn't believe she was good enough to be loved.

Rose misinterpreted her comment as well. "Trevor was my best friend, nothing more. I spent all those years on the run from Elijah. I just never thought it was a good idea to set up roots. The whole idea of a family is not exactly compatible with being a vampire." She explained.

Amelia was quiet as she imagined never having children. She wasn't sure that she wanted children, but she didn't really want to rule out the option.

"Why are you so eager to give up?" Rose asked Elena.

Elena handed Rose her glass of blood. "I'm not giving up on anything. Here." She lied.

"What do you call this whole deal with Elijah?" Rose questioned.

"I call it my best option." Elena explained.

"It's your easiest option." Rose argued.

"That's not fair." Elena said, shaking her head.

"You really think that your witch friend destroyed the moonstone?" Rose asked, looking at Amelia.

Amelia looked at Rose in shock. She thought they were becoming friends. "What do you mean? I helped myself - I saw it explode!" She argued.

"And I spoke with Bonnie - I know that they had the help of another witch." Elena told her. "Assuming it's Elijah's witch, so, no, I don't." Elena realized, wondering if it really was Elijah's witch.

"What?" Amelia asked, dumbfounded. Sure, she had a strange vibe from the Martin's, but she didn't believe that they had betrayed her.

"You really are determined to die, aren't you?" Rose asked Elena. "At least I ran. You're not even trying." Rose handed Amelia the glass of blood. "I'm so tired." She said, before closing her eyes.

Amelia and Elena exchanged a look before starting to leave the room.

"No, wait! Tell them to prepare the horses." Rose murmured, hallucinating.

"It's okay, Rose. Just get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up." Amelia soothed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Trevor, don't be so stupid. We're never gonna make it there before the sun." She murmured, tossing and turning. Rose opened her eyes, becoming more aware. "Oh, Amelia, I need more blood." Rose groaned.

"Yeah, of course, here." Amelia murmured, handing her the glass.

A moment later, Rose leaned over, gagging and retching blood all over Damon's bed. Amelia held her hair and rubbed her back soothingly as she coughed.

Elena ran over and wet a cloth for Rose. "It's okay, it's all right." She said.

Suddenly, Rose disappeared. Amelia looked around, confused, before seeing Rose behind Elena, a murderous expression on her face. Amelia gasped as Rose grabbed onto Elena and shoved her into a wall. "It's all your fault, Katerina! You, Katerina, you did this!" Rose yelled, veins appearing under her eyes.

"Rose!" Amelia shouted, fumbling off the bed and tripping on the sheets, falling to the floor embarrassingly.

"I'm Elena, Rose, Elena! I'm Elena, I'm not Katherine!" Elena protested, struggling under her grip.

Thankfully, Rose seemed to realize her mistake. She backed away from Elena as Amelia got to her feet. "Elena?" Rose realized hesitantly. "Oh, my God."

"It's me, it's Elena." Elena confirmed.

"Oh, my God, Elena, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me." Rose apologized, frightened.

"It's all right, you're going to be all right." Amelia soothed.

"My mind, I'm…" Rose trailed off, covering her face as she walked away from them.

"It was only for a second." Elena said.

"I'm sorry, don't be scared of me." Rose pleaded.

"I'm not, I'm not. But… you need to rest." Elena assured her.

"I'm scared." Rose admitted, crawling under the covers.

"You're not alone. We're right here." Amelia assured her.

Rose sat up, looking around. "Here? Where's here?"

Elena put a hand on Rose, "Damon's bedroom. You're in Damon's bedroom." Elena reminded her.

Rose looked around, frightened. "I wanna go home." She cried.

"Tell us about it." Amelia suggested, sitting down next to her cautiously.

"St. Austell. Thirty kilometers south of London. With fields and trees and horses." Rose murmured, closing her eyes.

"Sounds beautiful." Elena whispered.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted. I just wish I hadn't been so afraid." She admitted before drifting off into a restless slumber.

Amelia was downstairs catching up on homework when Elena came running down the stairs. "What's wrong?" Amelia asked, standing up.

"It's Rose - she's gone. I don't know where she went." Elena told her.

Amelia frowned, and helped Elena search the house, pulling out her phone. She dialed Damon's number and groaned as it went to voicemail. "It's Amelia… I'm worried about Rose - I think you should come home."

The girls heard a clattering noise from across the house. "Rose?" Amelia called, hanging up the phone. She hurried to follow Elena as she went down into the basement.

She bent down and picked up a near empty blood bag in confusion as Elena rounded the corner to find Rose kneeling on the ground, licking blood off her fingers. "No, no, no, Elena!" Amelia called, sprinting around the corner.

"Katerina." Rose said viciously, running towards the girls.

Elena screamed and ran up the stairs. Amelia quickly followed after her, pointing her hand at an old door, making it fall in Rose's path as she tried to get them.

They made it up to the living room before Rose caught up with them, her face terrifying as she stalked them. She had dark veins under her eyes, fresh blood dripping down her chin, and her fangs were bared at them as she hissed.

"Rose! Rose! Stop, I'm not Katherine - it's Elena! You're hallucinating!" Elena reminded her, trying to pull her out of that state. "I'm not Katherine. I'm not Katherine." She repeated.

Amelia lowered her hands as Rose's face went back to normal. She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Rose was herself again.

She realized that she was very, very wrong when Rose bared her fangs at her and leapt onto her, knocking her, and the curtain, onto the ground. Rose screamed as the sunlight came pouring onto her back, burning her.

Elena took off running towards the front door as Amelia stood in the sunlight - protected. "Elena, no!" She called after her.

Elena didn't look back and Rose disappeared from her sight, going after the easier prey. Amelia had a moment of panic as she briefly debated climbing out the window before she decided she couldn't leave her friend here to die.

She groaned as she ran after them. She came to a screeching halt as she saw Elena digging her nails into Rose's painful wound.

Rose screamed in agony and Amelia followed Elena up the stairs as she ran away. They locked themselves in a bedroom. Amelia immediately ran to the windows, throwing the curtains open and bathing in the protection of the sunlight. Elena shoved a heavy desk in front of the door (which was futile in Amelia's opinion) and broke off two legs of the wooden chair she had knocked over, creating stakes.

The two girls flinched in fright as the doorknob jiggled. "Elena, I know that it's you and not Katherine." Rose said before she began gagging and coughing. "Amelia, please, I need your help." She begged.

Amelia felt a deep pain in her heart, wanting to help Rose, but needing to keep herself and Elena safe.

Amelia spent the better part of the afternoon arguing with Elena, insisting that they needed to leave _now_, while they still had the sun on their side.

Elena refused to leave, and Amelia refused to leave her, so they sat together quietly as the sun went down.

They sat across from each other on the floor, tensing up at every chirp of the birds and every sound of the wind.

"I'm sorry about how I've been treating you lately, Amelia. I haven't been a great friend to you." Elena admitted, looking upset.

Amelia took a deep breath. "I'll admit, I was pretty upset about that whole road trip with Rose… but, I understand - you've been under a lot of stress lately." She forgave her friend.

Elena gave her a small smile before hesitating, like she wanted to ask her something.

"What is it, 'Lena?" Amelia asked, concerned.

"It's just… I'm worried about you, Lia. This whole thing you're doing with Damon… What's going on?" Elena admitted, concerned.

Amelia closed her eyes and sighed. "It's complicated…" She trailed off, glancing at the disbelieving look Elena was giving her. "Okay… Damon, he… he makes me happy, most of the time. He wants to be with me, but I told him I needed some time… some time to think about it." She divulged. "I-I don't even know why though, I mean, he could have anyone, why me? It makes no sense."

Elena frowned at her. "He'd be more than lucky to have you, Lia, don't talk like that. I'm glad he makes you happy… Just…. be careful, okay?" She requested, giving her a small smile.

Amelia returned the smile and nodded.

A little while later, Elena was feeling brave and decided they should make a run for it. Amelia felt like strangling her friend, but said nothing, staying on high alert as they ventured down the stairs.

Amelia's heart was pounding, and her headache still hadn't let up. She thought she could keel over and puke at any given moment from the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

The pair moved warily towards the open door when Amelia felt warm breath on her neck. She spun around, flinging her hands out, deathly afraid, as she sent Damon flying across the room.

He landed hard, groaning as he stood up. "Damn, little witch, what gives?" He complained, blurring in front of them. Amelia flinched. "Where's Rose?" He asked, noticing the makeshift stakes they were carrying.

Elena shook her head. "We don't know."

Ten minutes later, they were outside the fundraising event at the high school, waiting as Damon spoke to Liz. She had just called him, explaining that they had found a vampire attack victim.

Amelia leant up against Damon's car, resting her eyes as she tried to ignore the pounding in her head, and her nauseous stomach.

Elena sighed as Stefan's phone went to voicemail. She left him a quick message before hanging up as she saw Damon approaching them.

"Hey." Elena greeted.

Damon frowned, noticing Amelia's disposition. "You okay, little witch?" He asked her, concerned.

Amelia wanted to lean into his cool hand that brushed the sweaty hair out of her face. "Yeah, I'm fine." She murmured.

"Have you heard from him? Do you know what he's up to?" Elena asked Damon.

"Baby brother's not exactly my priority right now." He told her, glancing around the parking lot. "Take this." Amelia opened her eyes to see that Elena had just pocketed a stake he had handed her. She took the second one from him.

"Come on, let's go." Amelia muttered, looking around.

They had barely begun their search when Damon muttered, "Oh, crap…" And suddenly took off across the parking lot. Amelia and Elena exchanged a glance as they ran after him. They both skidded to a halt as they saw a body on top of a vehicle, a bleeding girl falling to the ground, and Damon on top of Rose as he tried to subdue her. "Rose! Rose! It's me. It's Damon. It's Damon. It's Damon!" He soothed, trying to get her to come back to herself.

Amelia jogged over to the girl, and felt for a pulse. Elena looked at her questioningly, but Amelia shook her head. She was dead.

"Did I do this?" Rose asked, shocked.

Nobody said anything.

"No! I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I never wanted to hurt anybody." Rose cried, squirming under Damon's grip.

"I know, I know." Damon soothed.

Rose looked up at Elena and Amelia, her face covered in blood. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Rose sobbed, tears and blood mixing.

"Come on, lets get you home." Damon murmured, lifting her into his arms.

"No, I don't have a home. I haven't had a home in so long! Oh, make it stop! Please, make it stop! I hate it! Make it stop! Please!" She wailed hysterically.

Amelia ended up driving his Chevy as he sat in the back with her, trying to soothe her. Every once in a while, she would glance in the rearview mirror, feeling her heart clench at poor Rose.

Damon laid Rose in bed, and Amelia followed them upstairs quietly. She leant up against the doorpost, listening to their conversation.

"I'm sorry." Rose apologized.

"You went on a murderous rampage. It happens." Damon joked.

Amelia rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to chuckle.

"I'm sorry, Amelia. I don't like taking human life. I never have." Rose called to her.

Damon turned and glared at her. "You shouldn't be here." He said harshly.

"That's the worst part about death - the hunt. The need to kill. The thirst. Pleasure it brings you afterwards. I wasn't meant to be evil. It hurts." Rose explained.

"Well, then stop talking about it." Damon snapped, walking a few steps away from her.

Amelia frowned at him, and moved closer to Rose. "He's a lot like me. He wants to care, but the minute he does, he runs away from it." Rose told her. "I'm sorry for what I've done today." Rose apologized again, her voice cracking.

Amelia sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "Rose, sh. I forgive you. It's okay." She told her truthfully.

"And you need to fight. I know that you're scared, but you have to do it anyway. I've seen the way he looks at you, Amelia… You can't let a love like that pass you by." Rose pleaded.

Amelia stared at her, mouth slightly agape as she tried to think of a response. She looked down at the floor and snuck a peek at Damon to see that he was staring at her, arms crossed, but a gentler expression on his face.

Rose started coughing and Amelia turned back to her, rubbing her back. "Mmm. Why are you so nice to me?" Rose asked, confused.

Amelia chuckled. "I don't know." She admitted. "I'm just doing what any other decent human would." She shrugged.

"You can never forget it. What it's like to be human. It haunts me. It's the only thing that's kept me going." Rose pleaded. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore." Rose said, referring to the werewolf wound on her back.

Amelia and Rose exchanged a smile before Rose's face suddenly turned sour. She squirmed on the bed, and began groaning and screaming.

"What do we do?" Amelia asked Damon nervously as he sat down next to Rose.

"It's okay." Damon soothed, brushing Rose's hair out of her face.

"Damon?" Amelia repeated, backing a few steps away.

"Just go, I've got this!" Damon yelled.

"Oh, my God! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Rose pleaded, beginning to sob. "Oh, I can't take this anymore, make it stop!"

Amelia felt so torn as she jogged down the stairs. She wanted to stay and help Damon, but he didn't want her there - he had made that pretty clear.

She sighed and laid down on one of the couches, falling asleep eventually as she waited for Damon.

Amelia sat up, her heart pounding, as she heard the front door slam. She stood up and walked over to Damon, who had just returned from burying Rose's body.

"You were supposed to leave." Damon told her.

"I couldn't just leave you. I had to make sure that you were okay." Amelia admitted, pouring him a glass of Bourbon and handing it to him.

"I appreciate the gesture." He replied stiffly, taking a large sip of the drink. "I'm just glad it's over."

"You know I don't believe that." Amelia said, crossing her arms.

"Go home, Amelia. Get some rest. It's a whole new day tomorrow." Damon said optimistically, gesturing towards the door.

"Damon, I'm your friend." Amelia told him, touching his arm.

Damon looked down at her hand and swallowed. "I'm well aware of that."

"And a friend usually knows when their friend is hurting." Amelia responded.

"What do you want to hear? That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well I didn't, and I'm not!" Damon denied, his long hair falling in his face as he turned away from her.

"There you go, pretending to turn it off, pretending not to feel. Damon, you're so close, don't give up." Amelia said quietly, shaking her head.

"I feel, Amelia. Okay?" Damon admitted, moving closer to her. "And it sucks." He emphasized harshly. "What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me. Jules was coming after me." Damon admitted, his voice quivering.

Amelia felt her heart clench at the thought of him being bitten by a werewolf - facing the same fate Rose had - death. "You feel guilty." She realized.

Damon scoffed and shook his head, moving to stand right in front of her. "That would be human of me, wouldn't it, Amelia? And I'm not human. You're one to talk about giving up. It's all you've done, is give up! You won't even give us a chance!" He yelled. "Go home." He said more quietly, pointing at the door. "There's been enough doom and gloom and personal growth for one night."

They stared at each other quietly, waiting to see who would give in first. Amelia felt her heart sink as he glanced away from her, trying to rapidly blink the tears that were forming in his eyes. She moved to him quickly, wrapping her arms around the stiff, rigid vampire. Damon sniffed and took a deep breath before returning the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame.

"God, this sucks." Damon admitted, chuckling harshly.

"I know, Damon." Amelia mumbled into his chest. She tried to pull away but he pulled her back to him. "Damon…" Amelia groaned, chuckling.

Damon sighed and let her take a step back. Amelia observed him for a moment, and the unusual defeated sag to his posture.

"Wait here." Amelia told him firmly, running up to his bedroom. She searched through his wardrobe before finally finding what she needed. She tucked it into her jacket and jogged back down the stairs. "C'mon." She commanded, taking his hand as she walked out the door. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Damon sighed as he changed. "Why're we doing this again?" He asked.

"Because I said so." Amelia replied, coming around the corner in her black bikini, ignoring her pounding headache that she had all day.

"Aren't you worried about being expelled for breaking and entering?" Damon teased as he took off his shirt on the edge of the high school pool.

Amelia felt her mouth go dry as she watched him stretch his strong arms, his muscular chest…

"I know I'm sexy but you don't have to stare." Damon teased, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Amelia glared at him and a brilliant idea struck her. She waved her hand at him and caught him off guard as he went flying into the cold pool.

"Hey!" Damon complained, coughing up water.

Amelia giggled at the sight of his long, dark hair dripping into his face. She frowned as she realized he was no longer in the water.

"Paybacks a bitch." He whispered, his lips brushing against her ear.

Amelia squealed as his strong hands gabbed onto her hips and she felt her toes leave the ground. The cold water dripped from his hair and onto her.

"Damon, no! I'm sorry!" She pleaded, squirming as she tried to escape her fate. She knew that she could probably get away from him if she used her powers, but she was in a playful mood.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not as sorry as you're about to be!" He told her, laughing as the threw her into the cold water.

Amelia surfaced and spluttered, glaring at the vampire. He only winked at her before making a cannonball and splashing her as he landed. They were both laughing as they engaged in a splashing war. Eventually, Amelia had to admit defeat, acknowledging that she was no match for him. "Okay, old man, I give!" Amelia squealed, shielding her face from his onslaught.

Damon scoffed. "Old man? Really?" He groaned, swimming over to her. "You're one to talk, jailbait." He teased, looking at her tiny swimsuit. The smile fell off his face as he realized she hadn't stopped shivering since they had entered the pool. He noticed her skin was much paler than it's usual light cream color, and he could hear her heart beating at a much faster rate, almost as if it were struggling to keep up.

"You don't look so good." Damon told her, grimacing.

"Gee, thanks…" Amelia trailed off, embarrassed as she thought he was referring to her looks.

"No, seriously, Amelia. You've looked really sick… all day today." He realized, feeling guilty. "How're you feeling?" He asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She grimaced. "Not great." She admitted, not looking at him.

Damon Salvatore was laying on Amelia's bed in his undershirt and boxers thinking about how he missed being human. The sound of the shower was all he could hear in the quiet house. Damon wanted to lash out. He wanted to hurt people - to kill them and drink every ounce of blood from their body as they begged and screamed in his arms.

Damon thought about the possibility that Amelia was somehow related to Elijah and he felt relieved, even though he refused to admit it to himself. If it were really true, he wouldn't have to decide whether or not to break his vow to the Whitmore family.

Damon heard the door open, and the familiar sound of Amelia's heartbeat moving towards him. He heard her sigh as she climbed into bed, wrapping her arm around him. She rested her head on his chest and he glanced down, noticing the warm puppy pajamas she was wearing. Despite the warm clothing and her hot shower, she was still shivering.

They were both silent, lost in their own thoughts. Damon ran a hand through her hair, trying to get her to relax her stiff body.

_I have a secret, _Damon realized, _I have a big one and I never said it out loud… I mean, what's the point? It's not gonna change anything. Its not gonna make me good, make me adopt a puppy… I can't be what other people want me to be - what _she_ wants me to be. This is who I am. _

Damon looked down at the sleeping girl who lay on him so innocently. It would only take him a second - less than a second even - to snap her neck. Or, he could rip her heart out… send Elijah a message… How he would love to sink his fangs into her neck again…

The sleeping witch stirred, her brow furrowed and her drool covered lips frowning. Damon wondered what was bothering her - if she were having a nightmare…

_Why do I care? _Damon thought. _She means nothing to me… just a distraction… _He tried to convince himself. _I mean I could definitely kill her if I wanted to… right? _

Damon sighed, observing her unusually pale skin, her light blonde hair… He knew that if she opened her eyes, those baby blues would be looking at him in delight, a happy smile on her face…

_I'm not sure I could kill her if I wanted to, _Damon realized, a frown on his face. _She's my existential crisis. Do I kill her or do I not kill her?_

The sleeping seventeen year old had no idea of the thoughts circulating through his head.

_But I have to because I'm not human and I don't care! And I miss it… I miss it more than anything in the world! That is my secret, but there is only so much hurt a man can take…_

Just as Damon was thinking about doing it - ending her life, she stirred and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Damon? You're still here." She realized, yawning.

Damon swallowed and blinked the moisture from his eyes, hating himself. _I love her so much, I could never kill her… never hurt her…_

He cleared his throat and turned on his side, wrapping an arm around her. "Yeah… I'm still here." He murmured, pulling her close to him and wrapping a blanket around her.

Neither witch nor vampire slept easily that night.

**A/N: Hey guys! This was a huge, huge, huge turning point for their relationship! As you can see, I've strayed away from canon with Andie and Damon's relationship. This was definitely one of my favorite chapters so far! I appreciate all of the feedback! -TeamComrade11 :)**


	37. S2 Chapter 13: Daddy Issues

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Thirteen: Daddy Issues**

**April 1, 2010**

Amelia opened her eyes, her stomach churning violently. She felt too warm, too sweaty, and something heavy was half on top of her. Her stomach lurched again and she managed to push the heavy, sleeping vampire off of her as she sprinted to the bathroom.

Amelia's throat burned as she wretched into the toilet. Her hands clenched onto the seat and her eyes watered.

"Sh, sh, you're okay." Damon soothed her, holding her hair out of her face.

Amelia groaned and stood up uneasily before vomiting into the toilet again. "I feel like crap." She admitted, embarrassed.

"You look like it, too." Damon told her, winking.

"Damon…" Amelia groaned, feeling too weak to protest much. She rinsed her mouth out before sliding down next to the toilet, afraid to go too far from it.

"Really, though, you don't look so great…" He commented, noticing the green tinge to her skin, and the sheen of sweat that coated her skin. She was clutching her head, as if she had a headache. "Do you want me to get you some painkillers? Some water? Crackers?" He offered, unsure of how to help.

Amelia closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't think I'd be able to hold any medication down… definitely no food, please, but water sounds nice." She told him, feeling her dry lips.

Damon winked at her, and returned with a glass of water a few seconds later.

"That's so creepy…" She murmured, taking a small sip.

Damon sat down next to her and they sat in silence for a few moments - Amelia resting her warm face against the cool wall, and Damon observing her quietly.

Amelia opened her eyes when she heard Damon's phone ding.

"What the hell?" Damon murmured, irritated before scrolling through his contacts and calling someone.

"What do you want, Damon?" Stefan asked, irritated.

Damon put the call on speaker phone. "You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big 'Save Elena' move?" He asked in disbelief.

Amelia frowned, _why would he do that?_

"I went to go look for Isobel, and I got John instead. He said he can help us, and we're desperate." Stefan reminded him.

Amelia chimed in, annoyed. "We're not that desperate, Stefan. The guy tried to barbecue Damon!" She shook her head, and huffed. She was still so pissed at John.

"What're you doing with Damon…? Never mind… You and Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah, so we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Elena is putting all of her faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah? I don't trust him. He's an Original, he can't be trusted. It's not like we can just go up and kill him, because apparently, he can't die!" Stefan persuaded them, trying to get them to see reason.

"Look, Stefan, I helped destroy the moonstone… I mean, I suppose it's possible he tricked us, but I really thought we had done it. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't kill Elijah seeing as he might be my only living relative…" Amelia replied bitterly.

Stefan was quiet for a moment. "If it comes down to killing Elijah, I'll do it to keep Elena safe." He told her.

Amelia frowned but said nothing as Damon chimed in. "I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer."

"He knew about the sacrifice - Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe." Stefan explained.

"And how do we do that?" Amelia asked, clutching her sore stomach.

"He's not talking. At least not to me anyway." Stefan admitted.

"Great work, Stefan. Top notch. As if I didn't have enough problems." Damon complained, running a hand through his hair.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Rose." Stefan apologized.

Amelia looked at Damon as he put on his facade. "Whatever. I knew the woman for five minutes." He scoffed.

"And you cared about her after five minutes. I wonder what that means?" Stefan responded.

"It means I care, Stefan. It means I'm changing, evolving into a man capable of greatness. Better watch your back, because I may just have to go get a hero-hairdo of my own, and steal your thunder." Damon responded sarcastically, snapping his phone shut.

"That went well." Amelia muttered, debating on whether to comment on Damon's last remark or not.

Damon spent the rest of the morning trying to help Amelia feel better. He finally convinced her to try some crackers and take painkillers for the raging headache that was steadily getting worse; however, both came back up moments later.

Amelia noticed that Damon seemed to be restless. He paced her small bedroom as she lay in bed watching him.

"Just go, Damon, it's fine." Amelia promised, even though she would miss his company. "I'll be fine, seriously. Go find out what's going on." She encouraged.

Damon paused, and moved towards her tentatively. "Are you sure?" He asked, frowning, before shaking his head. "I don't-."

"Damon!" Amelia interrupted. He looked back over to her. "Just go." She said quietly. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I've been taking care of myself my whole life and that's not going to change now."

Damon sat down next to her and sighed. His eyes roamed over her and he squeezed her knee. "You don't have to go it alone, you know." He said, nudging her.

"Says you!" Amelia laughed, pushing him.

"Touché. Call me if you need anything." He called, beginning to climb out her window.

"Damon, no one else is home. You can use the front door." Amelia replied, frowning.

Damon winked at her. "I know."

He dropped down and Amelia shook her head, a small smile on her face.

Amelia had tossed and turned, trying to sleep away her headache for about an hour when Caroline burst into her room, followed by Stefan.

Amelia sat up and attempted to smooth her hair down. "What's wrong?" She asked, confused.

Caroline wrung her hands. "The worst thing just happened and I had to tell you guys." She admitted.

"What's going on?" Stefan asked, just as confused as Amelia was.

"Tyler knows about you and Damon. He knows that Damon killed Mason. I didn't say a word!" Caroline promised, biting her lip.

Stefan groaned and threw his hands up in the air. "It's that woman - Jules. She had a run-in with Damon." Stefan explained.

"Tyler was so upset. The look on his face… He was so betrayed." Caroline told them, feeling horrible. She sat down next to her sister.

"Wow, this is bad." Amelia realized, putting two and two together through her cloudy thoughts.

Caroline glanced at her sister and noticed the sickly tinge to her skin, the sheen of sweat on her, and the way she was rubbing her head, grimacing in pain. "What's up with you? Are you sick or something?" She asked, feeling bad.

"Or something." Amelia agreed. "Be grateful you'll never be sick again."

Caroline stood up suddenly. "You're not gonna tell Damon, are you?" She asked Stefan, worried.

"No, he already wants to kill him. He thinks all werewolves should die." Stefan promised.

"Well-!" Caroline started.

"And he's not wrong to think that, Caroline. I mean, what if Tyler tried to retaliate? He has every right to. He can get himself killed." Stefan interrupted.

"Well, we're not gonna let that happen." Amelia stood up and wrapped an arm around her sister, trying to reassure her.

"You won't tell Damon either, right?!" Caroline asked her frantically.

"No, Care… I'm not a huge fan of Tyler's, but I don't want him dead." She promised.

Caroline smiled at her gratefully before turning to Stefan. "Yeah, we have to get to him and reason with him before he does something stupid. You have to talk to him. Just try to explain, you know?" Caroline pleaded with him. "You always know the right things to say, okay? He and I… we're friends."

Elena Gilbert opened the door and Damon barged into her home. "Where's John?" He demanded.

"He's not here. He left. I don't know where he went. He just blew in, announced to Jenna that he's my dad, and then took off." Elena explained, looking beautiful in a simple red dress and a sleek ponytail.

"That's public knowledge now?" Damon asked in disbelief.

"Apparently." Elena agreed, annoyed.

Damon paused for a moment, thinking about asking her if she was okay, before he decided not to. "He say what he was doing here?" Damon asked instead.

"No. You know, Stefan thinks that he's telling the truth about wanting to help me." Elena explained before taking a sip of coffee.

"You believe him?" Damon asked, curious.

Elena set down her coffee. "No, I don't believe him for a second."

"I don't either." Damon agreed.

"What are we gonna do?" Elena asked, sighing.

"Kill him." Damon said simply, walking out the door.

"Damon-!" Elena started.

"I'm joking… ok, I'm a little serious." Damon admitted.

"Damon!" Elena protested.

Damon groaned and walked back inside. "I'm not gonna hurt him, Elena. I'm the good guy now, remember?" Damon asked, sarcastically.

"What does that mean?" Elena asked cautiously, crossing her arms.

"I'm gonna have a civil conversation with your father." Damon explained, turning to walk out again.

"Wait!" Elena called, following him out the door. "I'm coming with you."

Bonnie Bennett was walking in the Town Square, heading towards the memorial for the people Rose had killed, when she saw Jeremy Gilbert. She smiled at him and began to walk towards him when she heard Dr. Martin's voice next to her. "Hello, Bonnie." He greeted pleasantly.

Bonnie looked at him warily, continuing to walk forward. "I don't have anything to say to you Dr. Martin… or your son." She said coldly.

Dr. Jonas Martin nodded. "You must be feeling very confused about us." He said solemnly.

"Nothing confusing about it. I trusted Luka, and he betrayed me. Elena told me you're both working for Elijah. So don't lie about it." Bonnie responded heatedly.

"I won't." He agreed. "But that doesn't mean we're not also looking out for you - and Amelia Whitmore for that matter. She's very important to Elijah."

Bonnie shook her head, not bothering to ask about his comment about Amelia. "Spare me the witch loyalty crap." She replied coming to a standstill and turning around to look at him.

"You might not want to believe this, but Elijah is a man of his word. You can trust that he'll keep his end of the deal with Elena to keep you and your friends protected." Jonas explained.

Bonnie considered what he had said for a moment before saying, "You're right - I don't believe it."

Jeremy Gilbert walked over to the pair. "Is there a problem here?" He asked.

Dr. Martin looked at Jeremy as Bonnie responded. "Not at all."

She began walking away and Jeremy put his arm around her shoulder. "What was that about?" He asked, confused.

"Just… more lies." She replied as Dr. Martin watched them walk away.

Over at The Grill, Jenna Sommers and Alaric Saltzman were looking at the menu, trying to decide what to order for dinner. A few feet away from them was a shrine with photos of the murder victims surrounded by flowers and candles.

"I just can't believe it." Jenna complained, shaking her head. "Elena is my sister's husband's brother's daughter, and her mother is my boyfriend's deceased wife. I mean, you can't make this stuff up."

"It's definitely a little overwhelming." Alaric agreed.

"I can't believe that they kept it a secret. How is it even possible to keep a secret like that?" She asked, before looking over and groaning as she saw John himself walk inside and head over towards them.

"Hey, you two. You think I can, um, join you?" John asked awkwardly.

Jenna flipped through her menu. "Do you have to?" Jenna asked, irritated, refusing to look at him.

"I guess I don't have to, but might as well." John replied. Jenna said nothing and John glanced up at the entrance, seeing his daughter, Elena, and Damon Salvatore walk in together. "Look who's here."

"We just need answers. Please don't do anything stupid." Elena whispered to him.

Damon groaned. "Yeah, but stupid is so much more fun." He turned to walk towards John, but Elena grabbed onto his arm.

"Damon, I mean it!" Elena protested. "All I'm asking is you try to keep it together. Be the better man."

"Okay then…" Damon drawled before walking over to their table. "John, buddy… How you been?"

"I've been all right, Damon. It's good to see you." John lied, smiling at him falsely.

The group engaged in small talk for a few minutes before John excused himself and lit a candle at the memorial. Damon followed him over. "So, John, rumor has it, you know a lot and won't say anything." He stated.

John sighed. "How do I know you can be trusted, Damon? Originals can compel vampires and according to Stefan, that's why Katherine is still in the tomb, because an Original has compelled her to stay there." He remarked.

Damon struck a match and lit a candle as well. "Only because all of the vervain has left her system. Stefan and I, on the other hand, are chock full." Damon guaranteed, raising the flame to his lips and blowing it out.

John narrowed his eyes. "You guys are drinking vervain?" He asked in disbelief.

"It's an acquired taste." Damon joked, pausing. "I don't see that magical ring on your stitched finger, so if you know something about Klaus, you better start talking or I will kill you in your sleep." He threatened, leaning in close to his ear.

John waited for Damon to lean back before responding. "Now, is that any way to convince me that you and I are on the same side? First, I need to know that I can trust you, Damon - that I can count on you. Then we'll talk." John smirked before walking away.

Back at the Forbes' home, Amelia sat in the corner, crying her eyes out as she clutched at her painful head. She couldn't move, couldn't sleep, couldn't _think_. All she could concentrate on was the throbbing pain in her head. She didn't think she had ever been in that much pain. _Well, maybe when I burnt my hand saving Damon from the fire…_

"Make it stop, _please_, make it stop!" She sobbed, wrapping her arms around her knees.

Just when she thought she couldn't take it anymore, the pain increased tenfold and she began screaming until her voice was hoarse and she couldn't scream any longer.

Suddenly, she became silent and she fell to the floor unconscious.

Caroline Forbes was had just said goodbye to Matt after promising to talk when he got out of work. She unlocked her car, a smile on her face when she sensed a presence behind her. The smile fell from her face.

"Excuse me." A woman's voice called from behind her. Caroline turned around and observed the tall brunette cautiously. "Caroline, right?" She asked.

"Yeah." Caroline responded.

"I'm looking for Tyler. You haven't seen him, have you?" Jules asked.

"Nope, not since earlier, sorry." Caroline said truthfully, opening her car door.

"I know you're lying." Jules stated.

Caroline turned around. "Really? How? Is that one of your little wolf tricks?" She asked sarcastically.

"Actually it is." Jules responded.

Caroline nodded and turned around, shutting her car door. "Well, I have a trick, too." She replied casually before whirling around, her face vamped out. "Rawr!" She yelled threateningly.

Caroline screamed as Jules sprayed her in the eyes with a vervain/water mixture. She turned around, shielding her face as it healed before she turned around angrily.

A man stood in front of her, a gun pointed to her head. He pulled the trigger.

Amelia opened her eyes to see a cloudy sky and the overgrowth of a forest. A strange-looking bird chirped and flew past her vision. She sat up and brushed the ground with her hand, feeling the grass that seemed both foreign and familiar to her.

She stood up and crossed her arms, shivering from the cool breeze that her pajamas failed to protect her from. It was dark in the forest.

She walked around the forest for a few moments, dazed and confused when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. She rubbed her head tentatively as she realized that her headache had disappeared.

Amelia wanted to cry in relief, but she refused to relax until she had figured out what the hell was going on.

She recognized the trail she was walking. The huge tree that had fallen over, that she and her brother enjoyed climbing. The large, disfigured rock that she occasionally hid behind. The sounds of the birds that woke her every morning as a child. The smell of the wood smoke coming from her home, just past the clearing…

Amelia stepped out of the darkness and shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the bright sunlight.

"Freya, you've come home." Her mother, Esther, stood in the doorway, a smile on her face as she greeted her.

"I… I'm so confused. Am I dreaming?" She asked tentatively, trying to get the twigs out of her hair.

"'Tis the only way I can speak to you, daughter." Her mother circled her, tsking. "You have been blocking me… Your mental barriers have gotten stronger." She told her, coming to a stop in front of her. "I imagine it put quite a stress on your body."

Amelia frowned, realizing that she had been so ill because of it. "I-I'm starting to remember things… but I just don't understand! None of this is possible… I'm just a girl from a small town in Virginia…" She trailed off, knowing it wasn't true, but wishing that is was.

"Come inside, child." Esther soothed reaching her hand out for Amelia to grasp.

Amelia swallowed, wanting to cry as she thought about Sheila Bennett, and how much she reminded her of her maternal figure.

"What happens if I come inside?" Amelia asked, frightened.

"I shall answer all of your questions to the best of my ability." Esther promised.

Amelia swallowed again and observed this woman - the first person in her life to look so much like herself. They had the same golden hair, the same nose, and similar facial features. Amelia thought about her father, Mikael, who she had been so close with, and the blue eyes and facial features that she had inherited from him as well.

Amelia reached out and took her hand.

Caroline Forbes gasped and sat up, coughing. She looked around warily, realizing that she was trapped in a cage. "Mmm, God, no! Oh!" Caroline screamed as she experienced the worst headache she had ever felt. "Uh, uh, oh!" She groaned, pulling the wooden bullet from her forehead. She wiped some of the blood off her sore head and dropped the bullet.

She grabbed onto the cage and tried to reach the handle, but it was just too far away…

Her heart began racing as she noticed the man who had shot her sitting right across from her cage. She flew back as far from him as she could. "I see you got the bullet out." He commented. "That was… nasty. I got lots of wooden bullets, other toys."

Caroline began sobbing, terrified.

"It's gonna be a long night, sweet pea." He said, raising the gun to her and shooting her in the chest.

Caroline screamed and clutched at her chest in agony.

Damon was at the bar, drinking Bourbon, when Jenna approached him. "So, my friend wants to meet you." She said, gesturing to her friend. "Damon Salvatore, this is -."

"I know you." Damon interrupted. "The news lady." He said, thinking about how he had seen her reporting the deaths of the people Rose had murdered…

She smiled at him. "Yeah, Andie Star. Nice to meet you." Damon was quiet for a moment. "Can I buy you a drink, Damon?"

Elena Gilbert looked over, observing them closely.

Damon smirked at her, raising his glass. "My glass is all full, Andie. Thank you." He said, downing his drink and walking away from the bar.

"You totally blew her off." Elena commented.

"I'm steering clear of all women but a certain blonde witch at the moment." He murmured to her.

Elena shook her head. "If you hurt Amelia, I'll kill you, Damon… and you didn't have to be rude to Andie." She threatened.

Damon chuckled. "Trust me, it's in the best interest of women everywhere." He replied. Damon briefly wondered if Amelia would ever forgive him for killing her parents… well, if she ever found out. He took a long gulp of his Bourbon.

Elena pulled her phone out of her purse as it rang. "Stefan?" She answered. There was a pause and Damon glanced over at her. "What is it?" She asked worriedly.

A few minutes later, Damon knocked on Amelia's bedroom door. "Amelia?" He called, wondering if she was sleeping.

He tentatively opened her bedroom door and held his breath as he found her crumpled on the ground. "Amelia!" He yelled, shaking her. He relaxed slightly as he listened to her steady heartbeat, but he was still panicky. "Hey, hey!" He exclaimed, lightly tapping her face. Damon felt her stir and looked down at her sky blue eyes. "God, you scared me." He groaned, pulling her closer to him. "Are you okay?"

Amelia hesitated, wanting to tell him about everything Esther had said. "I-I guess so. I feel better now."

"Good, listen. I don't have much time, but short version… The werewolves took Caroline and me and Stefan are going to get her back." He explained.

Amelia stood up and almost fell back onto the ground as the room spun around her dizzily. "What?! When?! Oh, my God! I'm coming with you." Damon held onto her, steading her.

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no! You can barely stand, Amelia! You're staying here if I have to tie you down." He commanded, glaring at her.

She glared back, crossing her arms as she pulled away from him. "I'm fine!" She insisted, feeling exhausted. "This is my sister! Besides, I could get the ropes off, easy." She bragged. "Witch, remember?"

Damon sighed. "I will knock your ass out, Amelia." He threatened, emphasizing his words.

"You wouldn't dare." Amelia replied.

Damon raised his eyebrows at her and she shrunk down a little, realizing he probably would.

"Look, we're wasting time! Just stay here, please?" Damon exclaimed.

Amelia sat down on her bed, feeling defeated. "Okay, fine." She agreed.

"Okay then." Damon replied, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Amelia yelled, standing up.

Damon turned back to her and was surprised when she wrapped her arms around him. "Be careful, please." She pleaded, worried.

Damon returned her hug before stepping away and disappearing.

As soon as she was sure he was gone, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her contacts list. She hesitated for only a second before she pressed call.

"Elijah? I need your help." She begged.

Jules was pacing outside of the RV that held Caroline. She heard a twig snapping and she stopped in her tracks, looking out into the forest. "I know you're out there!" She called.

A few moments later, Stefan Salvatore appeared holding onto Tyler Lockwood by the arm. "Where's Caroline?" He asked.

Jules crossed her arms. "Locked up tight." She responded.

"Let her go and I'll release Tyler." Stefan negotiated. "It doesn't have to get any messier than it already has. I'm not your enemy, Jules."

"It's a little late to be waving a white flag, don't you think?" Jules called back.

Stefan closed his eyes for a moment, weary. "You need to leave town. No one else has to get hurt." He commanded.

"I'm not leaving without Tyler." She replied.

Stefan nodded. "Tyler's free to make his own decisions… as soon as you release Caroline." He said.

Damon appeared out of the shadows. "My brother the peacemaker." He joked. "Since Stefan got here before me, I'm gonna let him try it his way before I resort to my way, which is a little bloodier. So, give us Caroline." He demanded.

"Let go of Tyler." Jules called.

"Give us Caroline." Damon said, exasperated. "Without a full moon, it's not an even fight and you know it. We'll take you."

Jules smiled. "I'm not so sure about that, tough guy." She responded, whistling.

Damon and Stefan glanced around as dozens of probable werewolves stepped out of the trees, encircling them. Most of them were carrying stakes, and one even had a flamethrower.

"Let's try this again. Give us Tyler!" Jules yelled.

Damon nudged Tyler. "You heard her. Go!" He whispered. "Get over there."

Tyler looked at him warily before walking over to stand behind Jules.

Brady stepped forward. "Which one of you killed Mason?" He called.

"Uhh, that'd be me." Damon responded smugly.

"Boys, make sure that one suffers." He commanded, pointing at Damon.

"We can take them." Damon said confidently.

Stefan shook his head. "I don't know about that."

"Well, then…" Damon trailed off, making a beeline to Jules.

Jules saw him coming and she jumped onto the RV, before catapulting herself off, doing a backflip.

Stefan backed away as a werewolf lit up his flamethrower, feeling the heat of the flames. He sped behind him and grabbed onto him. Stefan pointed the flamethrower at the werewolves that approached them, forcing them to stay back.

A werewolf jumped off the RV and next to Damon, but Damon simply reached his hand into his chest and ripped out his heart before tossing it to the ground.

Tyler Lockwood ran into the RV, frightened.

"Tyler!" Caroline called, relieved. "There's a latch. There's a latch on the door and I can't get to it."

Tyler stood there staring at her and Caroline became worried. "Tyler?" She pleaded.

Outside, Stefan had just snapped a werewolf's neck when another shot a wooden stake from a crossbow at his heart. Stefan snatched it out of the air.

"Tyler, please. Tyler?" Caroline pleaded.

Finally, Tyler ran over to her and unlocked the cage.

Stefan stabbed a werewolf with the stake and sent him flying. The one with the crossbow shot at him again, and, again, he snatched it out of the air. This time, he sent it flying into his neck.

Stefan yelled in pain as a werewolf staked him in the back. "Uhhh!" He groaned, falling to the ground.

Caroline stumbled out of the cage as Tyler helped her out.

Damon was wrestling with a werewolf and had just pinned him when Jules shot him several times with wooden bullets. Damon fell to the ground, groaning in pain.

Caroline warily stepped outside and was taken by surprise when Jules shoved her to the RV, holding her at gunpoint.

Caroline exchanged a look with Tyler, pleading for him to help her.

One of the werewolves grabbed a stake and raised it above his head, about to stake Damon Salvatore in the heart. "Uhhh!" He yelled, clutching his head as he dropped the stake.

One by one, every werewolf fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

"What's happening?" Caroline whispered turning around.

"What the hell's going on?" Tyler asked, the only werewolf unaffected.

Dr. Jonas Martin and Amelia Whitmore stepped out of the shadows. Their hands were grasped tightly together as they focused on their spell. There was blood dripping from Amelia's nose.

Finally, every werewolf but Tyler fell unconscious. Stefan and Damon stood up warily, looking at Amelia.

"Elijah made a promise to Elena. I'm here to see it's upheld." Dr. Martin said. "There are two things that he values the most: his family, and his honor." He said, releasing Amelia's hand as he gestured to her. "You need to go. Get out of here. Now." He commanded.

Caroline ran over to her sister and Amelia wrapped an arm around her as they began to walk away together, followed by Stefan, and Damon, who was glaring at Amelia.

"When your friends awaken, give them a message. They need to get the hell out of this town." Dr. Martin told Tyler before turning around and following after the group of teens.

Amelia, Caroline, and Stefan approached the Forbes' front door. Damon had disappeared without saying a word earlier. "Is your mom home?" Stefan asked them.

"No, she's at work." Amelia replied, rubbing her sisters shoulder.

"I can come in if you want me to." Stefan offered, worried about Caroline.

"I'm fine, Stefan." Caroline responded quietly, sighing.

Caroline and Amelia walked inside as Stefan leaned up against the doorpost. "You don't have to pretend with me. Anybody would be upset after what you went through tonight."

Caroline gave him a small smile. "I'm okay. I'm not girlie, little Caroline anymore. I can handle myself." She replied.

Amelia smiled at her, rubbing her arm. "You sure can." She agreed.

"I just really wanna go shower, so…" Caroline trailed off.

"Okay." Stefan agreed.

"Goodnight." The girls chorused.

"Goodnight." Stefan said, shutting the door and leaving the house.

Damon opened the door of the Salvatore Boarding House to see Jonathan Gilbert standing on his porch. Damon frowned. "What do you want?" He asked.

"We didn't finish our conversation earlier." John said simply.

"I'll bite." Damon said after a moment.

John stepped inside. "I've been thinking. Personal feelings aside, Damon, I think Stefan will do all he can to protect Elena… and you'll do all you can to protect Stefan and Amelia."

Damon considered what he said before saying neutrally, "I agree with that statement."

"So, I come bearing gifts." John set a bundle down on the small table, unravelling the cloth with his gloved hand.

"What the hell is that?" Damon asked.

"This is how you kill an Original." John stated. "In this vial is ash from a white oak tree that dates back to the Genesis of the Originals. The dagger must be dipped into the ash and then plunged into their heart."

Damon took the dagger from him and ran his fingers over it. "How do you know all this, John?"

"Isobel. She's very good at finding out things. But of course you know that." John taunted.

"Where is Isobel?" Damon asked.

"Let's just say if she accomplishes what she's attempting, Klaus will never step foot in Mystic Falls. Where Elena's concerned, we're all on the same side." John said, leaving Damon speechless.

Amelia was plucking wooden fragments from Caroline's shoulder when her phone began to ring. "Hi." Caroline answered.

"Hey. Did something happen?" Matt asked, finishing up his shift from The Grill.

Caroline gasped. "Oh, my - I am so sorry, Matt." She apologized.

"Well, are you okay?" Matt asked.

"Yeah. Something came up with Bonnie and she needed me. A friend thing. You understand?" Caroline lied.

Matt looked over across The Grill and saw Bonnie and Jeremy laughing together.

"Yeah, so, uh, you with her right now?" He asked, playing along.

"Yeah, so, I'm not gonna make it tonight, Matt. But can I see you tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yeah. Sure. I hope everything works out. Goodnight." Matt said, disappointed.

"Goodnight." Caroline whispered, hanging up the phone.

Amelia continued plucking fragments from her shoulder when Caroline suddenly looked up. "Someone's here." She said, standing up.

Amelia hadn't heard anything. "What do you mean? Like, in the house?" She whispered, frightened.

"No… knocking at the door." Caroline responded, walking a few steps away.

"Wait! Care, do you want me to come downstairs, too?" Amelia asked.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "I'm a vampire, Lia. I can protect myself." She said, leaving the room.

Amelia sighed, finding herself alone. She left Caroline's room and walked into her own across the hall. She flinched in surprise when she saw Damon sitting on her bed.

"Damon! You scared me… What're you doing here?" She asked, moving closer to him hesitantly.

Damon lifted his head and glared at her. "What you did tonight was incredibly stupid."

Amelia scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Are you freaking kidding me? You would've been dead if we hadn't shown up, Damon!" She replied angrily, thinking about how scared she had been when she had almost witnessed him being staked.

Damon snorted. "I'm a vampire, Amelia - I can handle myself just fine."

Amelia thought about what Caroline had just said to her and she felt her face heat up in anger. "God! Everyone keeps saying that. Caroline is a vampire and she was tortured and _almost killed_, Damon! I saw that werewolf stab Stefan - he almost died, too. A-and when I saw that werewolf about to stake you… I was so scared." She admitted, losing her steam.

She sighed and sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she played with his ring. "I don't want to fight anymore… not tonight, please?"

Damon sighed. "Fine, but you shouldn't have called Elijah. I don't trust him." He said.

"I know." Amelia agreed. "Damon… I-I've been remembering things lately, and earlier, Esther contacted me…" She trailed off.

"What happened?" Damon asked, frowning.

"Well, my headache got so bad that I passed out, and I was in some sort of dream and she was there… She said that I've been so sick because I've been resisting her, putting up mental barriers, and my body was just so stressed… A-and she told me everything, Damon… a-and I remember some of it. I'm done being in denial - I believe her." She admitted quietly, afraid of his reaction. "I'm really her daughter, Damon. Elijah is my brother."

Damon stood up and shook his head. "This is crazy. How can you be related to him? He's, like, a bajillian years old!" He burst out.

Amelia took a deep breath. "I was in some kind of a coma I guess for a _long_ time. Esther put a spell on me… It was the only way she could keep me away from Dahlia, she said." Amelia explained, shaking her head. "Technically, I'm much older than you." She chuckled.

Amelia heard a door slam from downstairs. "Tyler just left… Your sister needs you." Damon paused for a moment. "Your real sister - Caroline. Remember her?" Damon asked maliciously.

Amelia frowned and looked up, about to reply to him when she realized he had disappeared, the only trace of him her curtains bellowing in the wind. She groaned and went over to her window, slamming it shut.

Amelia spent the next hour or so helping Caroline get cleaned up and comforting her. Caroline had just changed into comfy pajamas and Amelia had just put in her sister's favorite movie when she heard a knock on the door. This time, Amelia followed Caroline down.

"Hey." They greeted.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked.

"I was a bit worried about you." Stefan admitted. "After everything you went through tonight…"

"I'm fine." Caroline chuckled.

"Good. But just in case, I, uh, brought some back up." He replied, backing away from the door.

Elena and Bonnie stepped onto the porch. "We're gonna slumber it." Elena said, stepping inside.

"We haven't done it in ages." Bonnie agreed.

"Okay." Caroline laughed, half-crying.

Amelia was surprised but also happy. All four girls had a group hug as Caroline cried. Amelia gave a grateful look to Stefan and he smiled back at her before leaving the house.

Katherine Pierce stood up warily in the tomb as she heard footsteps approaching. She walked to the entrance and shielded her eyes from the bright flashlight.

"I know you were expecting someone else." John Gilbert called to her.

"I sent Stefan to find Isobel." Katherine replied, annoyed.

"She got your message. She was busy, so she sent me instead." John said.

"Does Stefan know that you're here right now?" She asked.

"No, no one does. This is between you, me, and Isobel." He stated.

"I want out of this tomb, John." Katherine growled.

John smiled. "I'm already on it."


	38. S2 Chapter 14: Crying Wolf

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter 14: Crying Wolf**

**April 2, 2010**

In the forest, the remaining werewolves solemnly burned their dead. Jules followed Brady as he walked over to another werewolf, Stevie. "Go ahead, tell her." Brady said, annoyed.

"Let me just preface this with a big disclaimer that screams 'I should have known better.'" Stevie told her nervously.

"What is it, Stevie?" Jules asked.

"When Brady told me what that Tyler kid said about Mason being here for the moonstone, something clicked. There was this moment back in Florida when I suspected Mason was up to something because he was banging that hot vampire chick Kathy and he didn't want anyone to know." He rambled.

"All right, just get to the point, Stevie." Jules said, making a hand gesture.

"That is the point, Jules. It's the Sun and the Moon Curse." Jules and Brady exchanged a look. "Mason was asking me all kinds of questions about it, if it could be broken, and when that evil man-witch and the little blonde one showed up last night, double-click, _witches_, _vampires_, _moonstone_. They're putting everything in place to break the curse." He finished, out of breath.

"We can't let them do that, even if we have to kill every last vampire in this town." Brady decided as Jules nodded reluctantly.

The four teenage girls were piled comically into Caroline Forbes' bed. Elena lay on one side, and Amelia on the other with Caroline in the middle. At the end of the bed, Bonnie was curled up.

They all began to groan as Elena's phone started ringing.

"Go away!" Caroline groaned, pushing Elena off the bed.

"Hello?" Elena asked loudly, answering the phone.

"Hi…" Amelia mumbled back sleepily, not fully awake.

"Shhh!" Bonnie said to Elena.

"Elena…" Caroline complained.

Elena crawled out of the room. "How was the slumber party?" Stefan asked.

"Good, hm, much needed." Elena said, sitting outside of the room. "When can you and I have one?" She asked.

"Mm, that can be arranged." Stefan agreed, smiling.

"Okay. Now, today." Elena joked. "Take me far, far away."

"Even with everything that's going on?" Stefan asked, surprised.

Elena sighed, "Because of everything that's going on."

"And you're sure this has nothing to do with dodging your father who just got into town?" Stefan asked.

"Uh, this has everything to do with that." She chuckled.

"Well, in that case, where would you like to go?" Stefan asked.

Caroline, Amelia, and Bonnie were sitting at a table in The Grill, talking. "Okay, so tell me about this big witchy plan you've been cooking up." Caroline said, resting her chin on her folded hands.

"We still don't know the extent of what Elijah's up to." Bonnie stated.

"No, we don't." Amelia agreed, cautiously.

"So, I'm gonna ask Luka to tell me what he knows." Bonnie said.

"And he's not gonna tell you anything." Amelia said realistically.

"I didn't say he was gonna have a choice." Bonnie finished.

Amelia frowned. "You can't compel a witch." She noticed Caroline was staring at something behind her. "What?" She turned around to see Matt looking at them. Caroline waved him over, but he walked away.

"What's that about?" Bonnie asked, giving Caroline a look.

Caroline shook her head. "Uh, I don't know. I thought that we were… uh, I don't know." Caroline said, sighing.

Amelia and Damon walked into the Lockwood home for the Historical Society's tea party. "Why're we at this stupid thing again?" Amelia groaned

"I told you, we need to figure out more about Elijah and if you're with me he's more likely to open up." He whispered, glancing around.

"Amelia!" Jenna called, hurrying over to her. "And… Damon." She noticed. "What're you doing here?"

"Oh, you know… I've always loved history." Amelia lied, cheerfully.

Jenna frowned. "No…. No, you haven't. You hate history, it's your worst subject." She reminded her.

"Oh! Right, well, Alaric has really changed my opinion on the whole thing…" Amelia noticed Damon talking with Carol Lockwood and Elijah. "Listen, I'll talk to you later, Jenna!" She called, hurrying over to them, worried Damon would do something stupid.

"Hi, Elijah. I want you to meet Damon Salvatore." Carol introduced. "His family if one of Mystic Falls' Founding Families."

"Mhm. Such a pleasure to meet you." Damon said, smirking at Elijah as he shook his hand.

"No. Pleasure's mine." Elijah replied.

Amelia skidded to a stop between Damon and Elijah, almost falling onto the floor. Both men reached a steadying arm out for her, and Damon glared at Elijah.

Carol turned to Amelia, a scowl on her face. "Amelia, honey, the grown-ups are trying to have a conversation, so if you wouldn't mind-." She scolded.

Amelia felt her face heat up in irritation. What a pompous woman.

"Oh, it's not trouble at all, Carol." Elijah said smoothly. "Why, Mr. Saltzman already introduced us. He couldn't stop bragging about her. She's his best student." He chuckled.

The four of them made small talk for quite a while before Carol excused herself.

"Erm, maybe we should find somewhere more private to talk?" Amelia suggested, feeling awkward.

"Of course." Elijah agreed, smiling at her.

Damon led them to a private room and shut the doors behind them.

"What can I do for you, Damon?" Elijah asked politely.

"I was hoping we could have a word." Damon replied.

"Where's Elena?" Elijah asked, glancing around the room.

"Safe with Stefan." Amelia replied.

"They're laying low, you know. Bit of a werewolf problem." Damon said, irritated.

"Yes. Amelia informed me of the basics." Elijah responded, looking at the blonde.

"I'm sure you did since it was your witch that saved the day." Damon said, pressing his lips together.

"You are welcome." Elijah replied, reminding him that he was alive because of him.

Amelia stepped forward. "We're very grateful for your help." She told him sincerely before glaring at Damon.

Damon ignored her. "Which leads to my confusion on exactly why you're here." He said bluntly.

Elijah chuckled. "Why don't you just stay focused on keeping Elena and my sister safe and leave the rest to me." He replied.

Damon became a blur and was suddenly right in front of him. "Not good enough." He scoffed.

Amelia gasped as Elijah shoved Damon to the wall, a hand on his throat. Damon reached his hand to Elijah's throat, but he easily removed it, making a snapping sound. "Elijah, please!" Amelia yelled, running to them as Damon groaned.

"You young vampires, so arrogant. How dare you come in here and challenge me?" Elijah asked him, officially annoyed.

"You can't kill me, man. It's part of the deal." Damon reminded him.

"Silence." Elijah said, picking up a pencil.

"Brother, please!" Amelia pleaded, catching him off guard as she used her mind to still his hand, inches from Damon's neck.

Elijah looked at her, surprised. "I see you've finally acknowledged our kinship." He said, still choking Damon.

"I can't deny it anymore, Elijah. I have all of these memories… Please don't harm Damon, brother… I care for him. He made a mistake." She negotiated.

Elijah sighed but dropped both the pencil and Damon. Damon fell to his knees, coughing as he regained the ability to breathe. Elijah knelt down next to him. "I'm an Original. Show a little respect. The moment you cease to be of use to me, you're dead. So, you should do what I say." He reminded him, smiling. "Keep my girls safe."

Elijah turned back to Amelia. She felt awkward, wondering if she should hug him or something. Elijah grasped her hand and bent down, kissing it. "Until next time, sister. Call me if you need anything."

Amelia swallowed and nodded, watching him leave the room.

Amelia was talking to Bonnie on the phone on the Salvatore's porch while Alaric and Damon talked inside. "Are you sure you're okay without me, Bonnie?" She asked.

"We're fine, Lia. We have Luka at your house now, we're just getting the materials ready." Bonnie promised.

Inside the house, Damon groaned. "Today was a bust." He realized.

"Yeah. How's the throat?" Alaric asked.

"Better. Would've been worse if Amelia hadn't convinced him to not stab me." He admitted.

"Yeah, that Elijah's one scary dude - but, with nice hair. I can't believe him and Amelia are siblings… It's all so weird, I mean, she's my student and he's, like, a bajillion years old! I guess they kinda do look alike… Hey, you want another one?" Alaric asked, gesturing to his drink.

Damon handed him his glass, sighing. He glanced behind him to make sure Amelia hadn't come inside yet. He didn't want her to hear this conversation. "He's gonna be hard to kill." Damon admitted.

"Yeah, I'd think twice before I'd trust that dagger and some ashes to do the job." Alaric agreed, refilling their drinks. "You're gonna need more info."

"I'm out of sources." Damon said, exasperated.

Alaric paused and gave him a 'duh' look. "You're practically dating his sister. What did Amelia say about all of this, anyway?" He asked.

Damon groaned. "We're not dating… Not yet anyway." He winked at him. "Anyway, I don't want her knowing about that. She wouldn't approve." He explained.

Alaric scoffed, handing him his drink. "And you think she'll want to date you after you kill her long-lost brother? Isn't he, like, her only living relative?" He asked.

Damon shook his head and grimaced. "I don't know, but he's a threat. She'll get over it… eventually." He guessed.

"I don't know about that, Damon." Alaric said, shaking his head.

"She's got spunk, huh?" Damon agreed.

Alaric sat down in one of the recliners. "Just don't kill her, please." He asked.

Damon glared at him. "If I was gonna kill her, I would've done it already." He admitted.

Alaric sighed. "That's not very comforting. Just don't do it, all right? The poor girl's been through enough." He told him. "Besides, she's my best student… I need someone to make me look good." Ric joked, taking sip of Bourbon. "She's friends with Jenna and it's bad enough that I'm lying to her about everything else. I-I hate the lies." He glanced down at his watch. "Oh, God, I gotta go. I got to pick Jenna up. Don't worry, I'll, uh, show myself out."

"Good luck." Damon replied, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head.

The house was silent for a moment before there was a loud crash in the other room. Damon went to investigate and found Alaric on the ground with a blade through his stomach. He fumbled to the ground, panting in pain.

Damon was caught off guard when a man with supernatural strength leapt from the ceiling and landed on his back, plunging a vervain dart into his neck.

"Whew! Damn, you're strong. It took the whole syringe." The man laughed, watching Damon fall to the floor.

Damon looked up to see two more men enter. "Grab that one, he's dead." One of the men said, pointing to Alaric.

"Hi, Damon." Jules appeared, her arm around Amelia's neck, a blade in her hand. The witch struggled beneath her. "I found something of yours." She goaded, scratching a thin cut into her neck.

Amelia whimpered and struggled harder as her terrified eyes met Damon's. Damon shook his head, trying to tell her not to fight. He didn't want them to hurt her.

Amelia grimaced and shook her head slightly before sending Jules flying across the room. Two werewolves converged on her, and she threw her hands out, sending them flying again. A third approached her cautiously, and she glared at him murderously. She pointed her hand at him, her palm open. Then, she slowly clenched her hand into a fist. The werewolf fell onto his knees, screaming in pain as she crushed his heart. She jerked her hand back, and watched as the heart came flying towards her, rolling to a stop at her feet.

"Stop!" Jules called, a wooden stake aimed at Damon's heart.

Amelia paused, feeling her own heart in her throat.

"Don't hurt him." Amelia begged, stepping closer.

"Then do as I say!" Jules growled.

Amelia allowed two of the werewolves to chain her up. Once they had deemed her secured for the time being, they began to tie Damon up. The only difference being the wooden spiked collar they put on him. Amelia was staring at Alaric who lay dead on the floor.

Amelia tried shifting her wrists uncomfortably, but she couldn't move a centimeter. One of the werewolves approached her, a lewd grin on his face. "Oh, what I'd like to do to you…" He purred, stalking his prey.

"Come one step closer and I'll make you wish you were never born." Amelia threatened.

The man's grin grew wider and he roughly grabbed onto her breast.

Amelia glared at him and he fell to his knees, screaming. Jules gave her a look and pulled on Damon's collar, making him scream in agony.

Amelia released him, feeling blood run down her nose. "Blindfold her." Jules commanded.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Damon yelled hoarsely, feeling murderous that the werewolf had groped her.

"Morning to you, too, Sunshine." The lewd man joked, pulling a blindfold over the witch.

Amelia felt tears welling up in her eyes as he stood behind her and groped her with both hands, making sure that Damon was watching. Amelia began sobbing as she thought about her time in foster care. _No one will believe you…_

He trailed a knife down the back of her shirt, cutting it into pieces as it fell off her, leaving her topless.

"Stan - that's enough!" Jules yelled, wanting to punch him.

The man, Stan, released her and she heard him walk away. "I saw this movie once, some torture porn flick. Anyway they had this collar device that was really cool, so I just modified it with some wooden nails, and when I pull…"

Amelia heard the sound of chains crinkling and then Damon yelled in pain.

Amelia concentrated with all her might. _Elijah, please help me! Elijah!_

"So, I hear you have the moonstone." Jules said.

Amelia was surprised when she heard Damon laughing. "Oh, if you only knew the irony of this moment right now." Damon groaned.

Amelia realized he was referring to when he had tortured Mason right in this room to get the moonstone.

_Elijah! We're at the Salvatore Boarding House! Please help! Elijah!_

"Let me tell you how this is gonna go." Damon said darkly. "You're gonna torture me, I don't talk. Someone loses a heart. Last time it was your boy Mason." He goaded.

Amelia heard the chains crinkle slightly, as if their holder was itching to hurt Damon.

"This time, it will be you. Or your little witch balling her eyes out over there." Jules said.

Damon yelled in pain as Stan pulled the chain again.

_Brother please!_

"You know what the great thing about buckshot is? It scatters through the body: maximum damage." Jules taunted. Amelia heard the sound of her raising the gun into her arms. "Where's the moonstone?"

"Get over it, honey. You're never gonna get it." Damon taunted.

"You're looking for this?" Elijah taunted, the moonstone in his hand.

Amelia sobbed in relief.

Elijah smiled, setting it down onto the couch. "Go ahead, take it." He chuckled, taking a few steps back.

One of the werewolves raced forward, but Elijah ripped his heart out in less than a second.

"Now, which one of you mutts did that to my sister?" Elijah demanded.

"Y-you're sister?" Stan asked, sounding terrified.

Jules ran off as Elijah tore him to pieces while Damon watched pleasantly.

"Where's the girl? Hm, doesn't matter." Elijah said.

Damon watched as Elijah appeared in front of Amelia, taking her blindfold off. She couldn't control the sobs that racked through her body.

"Sh, sh, sister, you're okay. I'm here now, you're safe." He assured her, snapping off her chains.

He removed his jacket and helped her into it, covering her.

"D-Damon!" She cried, trying to breathe.

Elijah frowned, but undid his chains as well. "So, you realize this is the third time I've saved your life now?" He taunted. He sighed, looking at his distraught sister.

"I've got her." Damon promised, pushing the chains off of himself.

Elijah gave Amelia one last look before taking the moonstone and walking out the door.

Amelia slid down against the wall and a bloody Damon Salvatore approached her. She flinched violently as he put his arm around her. "Hey, sh, sh, you're okay. I've got you." Damon assured her.

"D-Damon! I-I can't breathe!" Amelia sobbed.

Damon listened to her racing heartbeat - the fastest he had ever heard it. He reached over and took her small, trembling, sweaty hands in his. "Amelia!" He yelled, and she began to cry harder. "Listen to me." He said quietly. "Look at me." Amelia felt so ashamed as she met his eyes. "None of this is your fault. What happened to you today was not your fault." He promised.

She clutched at her chest. "I-I can't breathe, Damon." She cried.

Damon took her wet chin in his own, bloody hand. "Come on, breathe with me." He instructed, taking a deep breath. Amelia watched him and tried to do as he said, finding it easier to follow directions. She took several shaky breaths with him before her sobs quieted slightly. "There you go. You're okay. We're gonna get through this. Together." He promised.

Amelia was upstairs showering in Damon's room while he cleaned up downstairs.

"So he planned to kill her all along." Damon said, surprised of what Bonnie had just told him.

"Yeah." Bonnie's voice responded over the phone. "The sacrifice is part of Elijah's plan."

"Got it. Loud and clear." Damon said, hanging up.

Alaric lifted his head, groaning. "Finally. You missed all the fun."

Once Alaric was feeling a little better, he called Jenna and apologized for missing out on their plans.

Upstairs, Damon sat on his bed, on the phone with Stefan. "It was straight from the witches mouth… No, not Amelia, she was here with me… Yeah, the judgy one. Anyway, he was gonna go through with the whole sacrifice. You should probably just keep her away a little longer." Damon explained.

"Be careful. Look after Amelia and try not to get yourself killed. I hope she's not too upset." Stefan replied.

"Yeah, it's been a day for that." Damon said, glancing to the bathroom, listening to the shower as he made sure Amelia wouldn't hear him. "She was hysterical. I-I think she was having a panic attack or something, I don't know. God, Stefan, this wolf was groping her and I couldn't do anything to stop it. Just thinking about it makes me murderous." He admitted.

"Keep an eye on her." Stefan pleaded, feeling horrible for his friend.

"I always do." Damon muttered, hanging up.

He still heard the shower going so he grabbed some of his things and had to make do with Stefan's shower.

Stefan Salvatore put his phone back in his pocket and looked at Elena. "That was, um - that was Damon. We need to talk." He told her.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"He learned that Elijah's planning for you to die in the sacrifice ritual." Stefan said.

Elena looked down at the floor, feeling her shoulder sink down. She sighed and nodded, stepping forward. "I know the deal I made, Stefan. Elijah's very careful with his words. He promised to protect my friends. He never said a word about me." Elena admitted.

Stefan stepped forward in disbelief. "You mean, you knew that you weren't gonna survive this?" He asked, hurt.

Elena nodded. "If it comes down to the people that I love getting killed or me, I know what my choice is gonna be." She said confidently.

Stefan glanced away. "Elena, how - how could you stand out there earlier with me, talking about making plans for our future when you don't even expect to have one." He replied, looking back at her.

"I'm sorry, Stefan. I'm just trying to keep the people that I love safe. I'm trying to keep you safe." Elena apologized.

"No! What you're doing is you're being a martyr." He emphasized, upset.

Elena stepped back. "How is that any different from when you say that you would die to keep me safe?" She asked, confused.

"Because I've already lived. A hundred and sixty two years I have lived, and you've barely begun, and now you want to let yourself get killed?" He asked, shaking his head. "That's not heroic. It's tragic." He said, walking away from her to cool off.

"So, will Luka remember anything?" Jeremy asked Bonnie, walking with her in the Forbes' home.

"Well, he'll know he lost consciousness, that's all." Bonnie responded.

"Should we wait for Caroline?" He asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "She was just gonna drop Luka back at The Grill… said to lock the door on our way out." She told him.

Jeremy walked a few steps ahead of her. "Yeah. Well, I hope she drops him hard." Jeremy admitted bitterly, thinking about how Luka didn't care if his sister lived or died.

"Wait!" Bonnie called. "You're Elena's little brother, I've known you forever. You're that punk kid. I remember your awkward phase, and then your emo phase, your druggie phase…" They both chuckled. "And overnight, you turned into this hot guy who's really sweet and-."

"You think I'm hot?" Jeremy interrupted, surprised.

Bonnie hesitated and shook her head. "With everything that's going on, you know, curses and sacrifice…" She trailed off as Jeremy walked over to her.

Jeremy shook his head. "Enough already." He said, bending down and kissing her.

Bonnie reached up and held onto his neck, returning the kiss.

"Wow." She gasped, leaning away from him.

They both smiled and laughed, leaning back into the kiss.

Over at the Lockwood residence, Carol was walking up the stairs when she heard a creaking sound. "Hello?" She called into the darkness, walking back down the stairs. "Hello?"

She was surprised to see a vase filled with flowers and a note that said 'Mom.'

Tyler Lockwood walked into The Grill, approaching his best friend. "Matt?" He called as he bussed tables.

"I'm not in the mood, man." Matt replied, taking a step towards him.

"I need to say something." Tyler said, sighing.

"All right, say it." Matt said, willing to hear him out.

Tyler took a deep breath. "I've been going through a rough time, something I can't really talk about and Caroline's been helping me through it. She's been there for me, more than anyone's ever been there my entire life, and I kinda fell for her." He admitted. Matt nodded. "I don't know how anyone wouldn't because she's pretty incredible." Matt clenched his teeth, looking down. "But she loves you, and she needs you, and to be honest," Tyler sighed. "She deserves someone like you. So you be good to her, okay?" Tyler requested.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, man. Of course."

"See you around, Matt." Tyler said, leaving The Grill, knowing her wouldn't see him for a long time.

"Yeah," Matt agreed.

After Tyler left, his next stop was Caroline's house. He stood outside for a good ten minutes, trying to muster the courage to say goodbye. He saw her come downstairs and lock the door, and he sighed before meeting up with Jules and leaving Mystic Falls.

When Damon returned, Amelia still hadn't come out of the bathroom. He frowned, tossing his wet towel to the floor as he approached the shower in his boxers. He was surprised to see that the shower was on, but she was sitting on the floor in a pair of his boxers and an undershirt.

"You're wasting a lot of water… gonna kill the polar bears." He joked.

"Sorry." She muttered, her head pressed to her knees.

He sighed and bent down next to her. "What's going on?" He asked, concerned.

Amelia felt so ashamed. "I-I was afraid to leave the bathroom. I don't know, it's so stupid, but I was worried they would come back." She admitted. She dropped the stake that she had been clutching with all her might and it clatter to the floor.

Damon was surprised, he hadn't noticed her holding that.

He reached for her chin but she jerked away from him. Damon sighed again, and spoke to her even though she was counting every tile in his bathroom like her life depended on it. "Listen, Amelia. I'm so sorry about what happened. But those men that hurt us… That touched you… They're dead now. And when Jules delivers that message to the rest of them, I can promise you that we have a ninety-nine percent chance they're gonna be staying clear of us. They're terrified of Elijah, sweetie…" He trailed off, feeling awful.

Amelia took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut before nodding. She grasped his outreached hand and he helped her to her feet. Her legs felt so heavy, and she felt dizzy almost.

"You have the comfiest bed." She mumbled, laying on her side, facing away from him on the bed.

Damon chuckled but said nothing as he got under the blankets, laying on his back.

They lay in silence for a long time, her ragged breathing the only sound in the house. She sniffled and forced herself not to cry as she tried to shut her brain off.

Damon sighed and rolled on his side. He tentatively wrapped an arm around her, gauging her reaction. She immediately tensed up, but relaxed a second later. "Is this okay?" He asked her, concerned.

Amelia nodded and scooted closer to him. He wrapped his arm tighter around her stomach, and one of his legs rested between hers. Damon pressed his nose into her hair, comforted by the familiar apple cinnamon scent. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you." Damon choked out, feeling his eyes burn.

Amelia squeezed his arm, trying to comfort him. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect _you_."

Damon chuckled but said nothing more as he waited for her to fall asleep.


	39. S2 Chapter 15: The Dinner Party

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Fifteen: The Dinner Party**

**April 3, 2010**

Amelia Whitmore woke up especially early that next morning to get ready for work. She hesitated at the door and gave Damon one last glance. He looked so peaceful while he slept. His long, dark hair was splayed out messily across his forehead. There was no bitter, sarcastic mask on his face. It was just Damon.

Her shift at the Mystic Falls Veterinary Clinic was especially slow that morning. She ducked into the break room for a snack and pulled out her phone. She frowned as she noticed several text messages.

Elena: Wow! I just found out that Stefan used to be like Damon… called himself a ripper… crazy right?

Care Bear: tyler ran away last night! dont know how to feel :(

Bon Bon: So luka knows somethings up… watch your back.

Bon Bon: PS omg pretty sure im falling for elena's brother… SOS

Damon: Where are you? You left so early this morning. Call me. I need your help with something.

Amelia: I'm working. I get out in twenty minutes. What's going on?

Damon: I need you to convince Elijah to come over for a dinner party. We need more info on him.

Amelia: Ugh… I swear this better not be one of your schemes.

Damon: Meet me at The Grill when you get out.

Amelia shoved her phone back in her pocket and didn't reply.

After she had clocked out, she pulled out her phone and dialed Damon's number.

"Yes, little witch?" Damon drawled charmingly.

"Hey! Um, I think I'm just gonna go home - I'm not really feeling up to socializing after everything that happened last night." She explained, unlocking her car.

"Nooooo, Amelia!" Damon groaned. "I really need your help with this - it's important." He complained.

Amelia sighed, buckling her seatbelt. "Look, Damon. I just… I just really need some time to myself. I need a break from all of this…this vampire… crap." She admitted, feeling exhausted.

"Look, just help me out with this one thing and then I promise I-I-I'll give you a few days to recuperate, or whatever." He persuaded.

About a half an hour later, Amelia sat next to Damon and across from Alaric in a booth at The Grill.

"Other than the lecture on the history of Mystic Falls, did you get anything on Elijah?" Damon asked Alaric.

"No, it was boring." Alaric sighed, referring to his morning walk with Jenna and the Original. "Of course, Jenna thinks he's charming."

"You sound jealous." Damon realized turning to Amelia. "Doesn't he sound a bit jealous?" He asked her teasingly.

Amelia chuckled. "Kinda do, sorry, Ric." She apologized, agreeing with him.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this here." Alaric suggested, looking at Amelia.

"What, worried about your history student?" Damon asked.

Amelia shook her head. "I think we've been through enough together, Ric. I'm sorry about what I said, I was just joking…" She trailed off, feeling a little hurt. She had thought they were friends.

Ric shook his head. "This is too weird." He stated.

Damon sighed, looking at the table. "I just need the right opportunity." He said to himself. He looked up and saw Jenna and the Original himself walking into The Grill. "Ah, there's Jenna with her new boyfriend." He teased. "Hi!" He called out as they approached.

"Hi, guys." Jenna greeted, smiling. "Amelia, it's good to see you!"

"Same here, Jen." Amelia agreed, smiling.

"So, I hear you two had quite a meeting of historical minds today." Damon said.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Jenna agreed.

Alaric began to slide out of the booth. "Well, as much as I'd like to continue this, I, uh, I've got papers to grade." He said.

There was an awkward pause before Amelia spoke up reluctantly. "No, you know what? We should continue this. L-let's have a… a dinner party!" She suggested.

"Ooh, my girl, full of great ideas." Damon said throwing an arm around her. Amelia noticed Elijah looked a little peeved. "I'll be happy to host. Say tonight, maybe?"

"It's good for me, Jenna? It's been too long since we've gotten the chance to catch up!" She pouted.

"I don't know if tonight works -." Alaric said awkwardly.

"Yeah, I'm free." Jenna interrupted, smiling at Amelia.

Amelia glanced at Elijah, a small smile on her face. "It'd be a pleasure." Elijah agreed, somewhat reluctantly.

"Great." Damon said, a smirk on his face while Amelia internally groaned.

Amelia worked on her homework in the Salvatore Boarding House while she waited for Damon to return. He had insisted he would be back soon, and that he only had a small 'errand' to run. She had shook her head, not wanting to know what he was up to.

He returned in the nick of time, and helped her finish her history homework. She even begrudgingly admitted that he was pretty smart.

Not long after, Jenna and Alaric showed up.

Jenna was helping her finish up a last few things for the dinner party as they chatted. "So, what's going on with you and Alaric? I feel like there's some tension." She asked, curious. She worded it like a question, but, really, she had been sensing the distress waves exuding from them.

"I don't know. I really like him…" Jenna admitted, a small smile on her face.

"Mhm." Amelia murmured, encouraging her to continue.

"It's more than like. And, I want it to work, but I can't help but feel that he's hiding something from me. And, then I've got John whispering things in my ear about him." She continued, sighing.

"Like what?" Amelia asked, surprised.

"Things I don't want to believe…" Jenna shook her head. "Things I don't believe - not if they're coming from John's mouth." She corrected.

Amelia shook her head, chuckling. "Whew, you scared me for a second, Jen." She turned more serious. "Look, Jenna, maybe he just needs more time to open up. Alaric seems like a really good guy. Trust is the key to any relationship." She advised, hopeful that she wouldn't do anything drastic.

Jenna scoffed playfully. "Coming from the single high schooler who's only been in one serious relationship?" She laughed, shaking her head before she turned more serious. "Or, are you still single? What was up with Damon's comment earlier… calling you 'his girl?'" She asked.

Amelia sighed and grimaced. "Damon and I… we're just friends." She repeated the line she told everyone.

Jenna gave her a disbelieving look and Amelia chuckled. "Okay, maybe it's more than that - I don't know. It's complicated… I might not know a whole lot about relationships, I guess, but I see the way Alaric looks at you, Jenna. Something like that… I wouldn't give up for the world." She advised.

The friends exchanged smiles, and in the other room, Damon was pouring Alaric a drink as he listened to their conversation. "This is a bad idea." Alaric decided.

"There's no such thing as a bad idea." Damon scoffed. "Just… poorly executed awesome ones. Here." He handed the drink to Ric.

"No. I don't like the idea of Elijah being in the same house as Jenna." Ric protested.

"Jenna's perfectly safe." Damon soothed. "Besides, it's just a fact-finding mission." He lied. "It's totally harmless." Damon took a sip of his drink.

"Just a fact-finding mission." Alaric repeated, unsure.

"Yeah." Damon said nonchalantly.

"Listen, no sneak attacks. No surprise plans. Nothing that's gonna put Jenna in harm's way. Okay? Or Amelia for that matter - she's just a kid." Alaric pleaded.

Damon patted Ric on the shoulder. "Please, Elijah wouldn't hurt Amelia…" He trailed off, seeing the look on his friends face. "Scouts honor." He vowed.

"Hey, Jenna needs help with the wine." Amelia called, walking into the room. Alaric gave Damon one last look before leaving the room. "Thanks!" She called after him.

Damon smiled at her pleasantly. "Do you mind grabbing my phone from my room for me? I'll be right out." He asked her, needing her to leave the room.

"Oh, uh, sure." She agreed, shutting the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Damon hurriedly pulled out the dagger and white oak ash from a chest. He uncorked the vial and dipped the dagger inside. "It's all about the element of surprise…" He murmured to himself.

Just as Amelia walked down the stairs, she heard the doorbell ring. Jenna opened it warily, and John stood there. "Who invited him?" Jenna asked rudely as he walked inside.

"John. Surprise. Leave." Damon said cheerfully.

"When Jenna told me she was coming to a dinner party for Elijah, I decided I couldn't miss out on all the fun and games." John remarked, a smirk on his face.

"There aren't going to be any games tonight, John. It's just a friendly dinner party." Amelia informed him, handing Damon his phone.

"What she said." Damon said, smirking and throwing his hands in the air.

Amelia mumbled obscenities to herself as John made himself comfortable. She excused herself to the kitchen and chatted with Jenna as she waited for the last dish to finish cooking.

Meanwhile, Damon opened the door for Elijah. "Good evening." Elijah greeted, wearing a nice suit as always.

"Thank you for coming. Please, come in." Damon gestured inside, opening the door wide.

"Just one moment. Can I just say that if you have, uh, less than honorable intentions about how this evening is going to proceed, I suggest you reconsider." Elijah told him.

"No, nothing, nothing dishonorable." Damon denied. "Just, uh, getting to know you. I mean, if you're really Amelia's brother, and all…"

"I truly am, Damon." Elijah said. "Hmm. Well, that's good. Because, you know, although Elena and I have this deal, if you so much as make a move to cross me, I'll kill you and I'll kill everyone in this house." Elijah chuckled, walking inside. "Well, besides my sister of course. Are we clear?" He threatened.

"Crystal." Damon agreed, slightly more nervous.

"Jenna, wonderful to see you again." Elijah greeted, a large smile on his face. "How are you?"

"Nice to see you." Jenna greeted, smiling.

"You look incredible." Elijah told her.

"Thank you." She replied shyly.

"I hate to break it to you, Damon, but according to Elijah, your family is so not a founder of this town." Jenna told him, pouring him more wine.

"Hmm, do tell." Damon replied, looking at Elijah.

"Well, as I mentioned to Jenna earlier, a faction of settlers migrated from Salem after the witch trials in the sixteen-nineties." Elijah said, glancing at Amelia.

Amelia thought about her friend, Bonnie Bennett.

"Over the next hundred years they developed this community where they could feel safe from persecution." Elijah finished.

"Hmm, because they were witches." Jenna joked, disbelieving.

"Yeah, but there's no tangible proof there were witches in Salem." Amelia piped up, even though the Bennett's were all the proof she needed. However, she didn't want Jenna to get any ideas.

"Amelia's number one in her class - big on facts." Damon bragged.

Amelia blushed, not liking the attention on her.

"Well, the lore says that there was this wave of anti-witch hysteria. It broke out in the neighboring settlements, so these witches were rounded up. They were tied to stakes in a field together, and, uh, burned. Some say you could hear the screams from miles around us. They were consumed by the fire… Could you pass the…" Elijah trailed off, gesturing to the peas.

Amelia felt a sense of loss, thinking about the people who had been persecuted throughout the centuries just because they were different… Because they were like her…

"I wouldn't repeat this to the historical society." Jenna suggested, chuckling.

John Gilbert chimed in. "It's starting to sound a little like a ghost story to me."

It was silent for a moment, and Amelia chewed on her biscuit.

"So, why do you want to know the location of these alleged massacres?" Damon pried.

Elijah thought about his question for a moment. "Well, you know… a healthy historian's curiosity, of course." He replied, smirking at him.

"Of course." Damon repeated doubtfully.

The rest of the dinner went fairly smoothly.

"Would anyone care for some Cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages." Damon suggested, standing up.

"None for me, thanks. Nine bottles of wine is my limit." Alaric joked.

Damon gave Amelia a pointed look as they all stood up. "The… gentlemen should take their drinks in the study." Amelia suggested, managing not to sound awkward.

"I have to say, the food was almost as wonderful as the company." Elijah said charmingly.

Damon smirked. "Well, you have Amelia to thank for that - she's a great cook." He told Elijah, relishing in the fact that he knew so much more about her than he did.

Jenna picked up some plates and handed it to John. "Here you are, gentleman. Make yourself useful, hm?" She asked.

"Here, here, put me to work." Alaric offered, trying to take some of the dished from Jenna.

"Um, I've got it." Jenna declined.

"Hey, Jenna, um, are you, are you okay?" Alaric asked.

"Yeah, fine, Ric." Jenna assured, walking away from him.

John approached Alaric. "I suspect this is my fault." He admitted.

"What did you do now?" Alaric asked him angrily.

"I merely mentioned you haven't been completely honest with her about your dead wife." John goaded.

Alaric grabbed onto him by the jacket. "You son of a bitch." He murmured, fuming.

John pushed him off. "I think I've been very clear with you, Ric. I want my ring back." John threatened walking away.

Alaric was still enraged when his phone began to ring. "Hello? Woah, slow down, slow down. Stefan?" He asked, trying to keep up.

Meanwhile, Elijah and Damon were in the study, speaking in private.

"So, let me guess. In addition to the moonstone, the doppelgänger, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe," Damon started comically, pouring them drinks. "You need to find this witch burial ground."

Elijah walked around, studying the room. "Because I feel as though we've grown so close, Damon, I'll tell you yes." He admitted. "Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe." Damon suggested, handing him the drink. "Tell me why it's so important." He pried.

Elijah shook his head. "We're not that close." He told him. "It's quite a collection you have here."

"Mm." Damon agreed, cautiously lifting the dagger from the table.

"It's a funny thing about books… before they existed, people actually had memories." Elijah mused.

"Uh!" Alaric interrupted, bursting through the door. Damon gently set the dagger back on the table. "Gentleman. We forgot about dessert." He said breathlessly.

"Elijah?" Amelia asked, holding out her hand for him to escort her.

"Miss Whitmore." Elijah replied, smiling as he took her hand and twirled her around, walking with her out of the study.

After they had left, Damon hit Alaric, glaring at him. Alaric glared back and pointed at the dagger, but Damon didn't understand. Alaric shook his head and grabbed a pen and paper, writing: 'The dagger will kill you if you use it.'

"Sorry guys, dessert is taking longer than I thought. I usually just unwrap food." Jenna admitted, pouring drinks as they chuckled before leaving to go back into the kitchen.

"So, I know this is a social thing, but I… I would really love to ask you some more questions about the work that you're doing here." She told Elijah, trying to distract him. Her heart was pounding with irritation and nervousness as she thought about how Damon could have just died, _and_ her brother.

"I'd love to answer." Elijah agreed.

"Great, well that's… so great." Amelia trailed off, smiling. "Ric, would you do me a favor and grab the notebook out of my bag?"

"Elijah, did John tell you he's Elena's uncle/father?" Damon interjected.

"Yes, I'm well aware of that." Elijah informed him.

"Of course, she hates him, so there's absolutely no need to keep him on the endangered species list." Damon said, feeling murderous towards John.

"Ric, it's in the front pocket! On the - you know what? Excuse me, guys, sorry." She said, getting up.

"What I'd like to know, Elijah, is how you intend on killing Klaus?" John asked.

"Gentleman, there's probably a few things we should probably get clear right now." Elijah said quietly, turning to point at Damon. "I allow you to live solely to keep and eye on Elena and Amelia. I allow them to remain in their homes living their lives with their friends as they do as a curtesy. If you become a liability, I'll take them away from you and you'll never see them again." Elijah threatened.

Damon was on edge when Amelia returned, clueless about the conversation they had just had. "Okay, so, my first question is when you got here to Mystic-." She began sitting down.

Suddenly, Elijah let out a scream as Alaric stabbed him in the back with the dagger.

"No!" Amelia yelled, standing up in shock as Elijah turned gray.

Alaric removed the dagger and set it on the table. "Now, get rid of him before Jenna comes back with dessert." He demanded.

"All right." Damon agreed, not making eye contact with Amelia.

"How could you - why?!" Amelia asked, feeling numb. "God! I can't - I can't." She fumbled, gathering her things, and storming out of the house.

She drove home in a blur, angry and upset. She didn't even have time to go inside when her door was ripped open, and a very much alive Original glared at her.

"Elijah! You're alive." Amelia said, shocked but happy.

"You are coming with me." Elijah commanded, gripping her arm hard and pulling her out of the vehicle.

"Ow! You're hurting me." She growled, catching him off guard as she sent a wave of power at him. Amelia sprinted inside as he went flying and landed in the street, his clothes torn. She had just made it inside when he appeared right behind her.

Amelia heard her phone ringing from her car and she turned around to find herself face to face with him. "It's time to go, sister." Elijah demanded, infuriated that he had let her escape. He sighed when she said nothing. "You know, I might not be able to enter this house, but I'm very patient. I'll come back for you after I get your friend, Elena." He promised.

"E-Elijah, listen, I'm sorry about what they did. I promise, I had no idea." She told him truthfully.

"It's no matter… I shall return shortly." He vowed, disappearing into the night.

Amelia flinched as someone touched her from behind and she whirled around to find an apologetic Damon.

"Amelia, I'm sorry-!" He began.

"Save it!" Amelia hissed, glaring at him. "God! I-I can't even talk to you right now. Come on, we have to go help Elena."

Amelia had not enjoyed her ride on the vampire to Elena's cabin and was still feeling nauseous, but she knew it had been necessary.

"Hey." Stefan whispered, grabbing Elena's arm. "He's here." He told her, exchanging a look with his girlfriend.

Amelia flinched and forced herself not to make a sound as the front door came crashing open. Damon set a steadying arm on her, but she shrugged him off.

"You have to go. I need to talk to him alone." Elena told Stefan.

"Elena." Stefan said, unsure.

"Stefan, I'm okay. He can't come in the house." She reassured.

"You know," Elijah called, walking up onto the porch. "I might not be able to enter this house… but I'm a very patient man. I'll wait you out." He promised.

Elena stepped out into his vision, still under the protection of the house. "They shouldn't have done what they did." Elena said.

"The deal is off." He stated.

"I'm renegotiating." Elena stated.

"You have nothing left to negotiate with." Elijah said, amused.

Elena pulled out a very large knife. "I'd like to see you lure Klaus into Mystic Falls after the doppelgänger bleeds to death." She threatened.

"Stefan won't let you die." Elijah said confidently.

"No, he won't." Elena agreed. "He'll feed me his blood, to heal me, and then I'll kill myself and become a vampire, just like Katherine did." Elijah pressed his lips together, considering her offer. "So, unless you want that to happen again, promise me the same as before. Promise me… you won't harm anyone that I love - even if they've harmed you!"

It was quiet for a moment as everyone held their breath. "I'm sorry, Elena." Elijah apologized. "I'm going to have to call your bluff."

Elena nodded and took a deep breath steadying herself.

Amelia crossed her arms, and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling awful.

"Uhh!" Elena screamed, as she plunged the knife into her stomach.

"No!" Elijah yelled, trying to get inside as she groaned and panted, pulling the knife out, letting it fall onto the floor. "Yes. Yes, you can have your deal. Let me heal you." He pleaded.

"Give me your word!" Elena shouted.

"I give you my word." Elijah promised.

Elena groaned and stumbled forward, pulling the white ash dagger out from her jacket as she plunged it into his heart.

Elijah coughed and spluttered, as he again turned gray and fell to the ground, the dagger still inside of him.

Elena collapsed to her knees and Stefan appeared in front of her, biting into his wrist and feeding her his blood to heal her.

Damon and Amelia cautiously stepped into the room. "Little tip. Don't pull the dagger out." Damon suggested, grimacing.

Amelia refused to cry as she looked at her only living family member - now dead on the ground.

"Amelia, I'm sorry." Elena said, feeling horrible for her.

"Don't." She said coldly. "I just want to go home."

Damon Salvatore was surprised to hear the shower running when he walked into his bedroom. "Amelia? I thought Stefan took you home." He called out, confused.

He waited for a response in case she was indecent (even though he would love to see her indecent). When het got none, he frowned and walked into his bathroom, curious. He was shocked to see a beautiful, naked, brunette climb out of his shower. The smirk feel off his face, expecting to see a blonde.

At first, he thought it was Elena, but then he realized she wouldn't be that bold - right?

"Hello, Damon." Katherine greeted, brushing her long hair out of her face. "Hey, do you have a robe?" She asked casually, dripping onto the floor.

Damon was silent for a few moments, speechless. "How did you get out?" He asked wearily.

"I knew that if I begged you _not_ to kill Elijah, that's exactly what you'd do. Little known fact - Originals _can_ compel vampires, _but_ as soon as they die, the compulsion wears off." Katherine bragged.

"And you knew." Damon realized, irritated.

Katherine sighed, "And I'm still here. I didn't run. I meant what I said, Damon. I'm going to help you. So… how about that robe?"


	40. S2 Chapter 16: The House Guest

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Sixteen: The House Guest**

**April 8, 2010**

"Stefan, we're late for school!" Elena told him, putting on her tank-top.

"Let's be later." Stefan joked.

"Stefan. It's school. Remember, that thing that we keep forgetting about?" She reminded him, as he grabbed onto her. "Hey!" She protested, giggling.

"School?" Stefan asked, bending down to kiss her.

"Hey, mnm." Elena protested playfully.

"Doesn't ring a bell." Stefan joked, picking her up and tossing her on the bed.

"Stefan!" Elena giggled. "Okay, five minute. Only for five minutes!" She said firmly as he kissed her neck.

"Five minutes?" Stefan repeated, pretending to be outraged before leaning down to kiss his beautiful girlfriend.

Downstairs, Damon was looking over some paperwork and sipping his drink when Elena appeared, pulling on her coat.

"Good morning, Damon." She greeted.

Damon looked up and smiled at her before pausing and shoving her into the wall.

"What are you doing here? I told you to leave." He growled, his hands on her neck.

"What is your problem?" She asked in disbelief.

"You're wearing her clothes? Like that's going to work." Damon seethed.

"You think I'm Katherine?" She asked, eyes wide. "Why would you think that? Katherine's in the tomb! Isn't she?"

Damon's eyes widened and his grip loosened.

Just then, Stefan came around the corner and the pair looked at him. "What the hell's going on here?" He asked.

"I don't know, you tell me. Is Katherine in the tomb or not?" She demanded.

Stefan looked upstairs, shocked.

Upstairs, Elena put on her long sleeved shirt and was admiring herself in the mirror when Stefan shoved her against the wall, hands wrapped around her throat. "Ow! What are you doing?!" She asked.

"How could you do this?" Stefan asked, angry.

"Stefan, you're hurting me!" She protested.

"Stop it, Katherine!" Stefan yelled, giving her a hard shake.

"Ah!" She yelled.

"Stop what?" Katherine asked, leaning against the door. Stefan released Elena in shock. "It's getting really easy being you." She goaded.

"What is she doing here?" Elena demanded angrily, her arms crossed.

"When we killed Elijah, it broke the compulsion and freed the bitch from the tomb." Damon informed her.

"How's that possible?" Stefan asked, irritated.

"He's an Original." Katherine chimed in, snooping through their things. "They have all sorts of special skills."

"I don't want you here. Get her out of here!" Elena demanded.

"You need me, Elena. You all do." Katherine objected. "We all want the same thing - Klaus dead!" She emphasized. "Yet here you all are, running around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"I don't need your help." Elena said, having calmed down a bit. "And I don't want it."

"And that's incredibly stupid of you." Katherine taunted. "Do you know where Klaus is? When he's coming? What he _looks_ like?"

"If you know something, say it or get out." Damon demanded, stepping forward.

"Aw, what's the matter? Pouty because your little witch still isn't speaking to you?" Katherine asked him, pouting.

Damon stepped forward, feeling murderous, but Stefan grabbed him.

"Fine, then. I'll just go to The Grill and have some lunch. Maybe Amelia's free for a bite?" Katherine threatened.

Amelia had spent the last few days ignoring numerous texts and calls from Damon. She was amazed by how much free time she had when she was spending it with him; however, she had to admit she was a little lonely.

She spent most of her time studying ahead in her classes, putting in extra hours at the Mystic Falls Veterinary Clinic, and fretting about the ever looming threat of college hanging over her shoulders.

One night, she cooked dinner for Caroline and Liz and they had a nice meal together.

She had been outraged when she had found out that Dr. Martin had taken Bonnie's powers from her. She had called her up, trying to comfort her, and she had ended up spending the rest of the day with her.

She even avoided the piano that Damon had given her, even though she longed to practice. It just didn't feel right to use it.

Currently, Amelia was walked in the school with her sister. "Hey, Matt." Caroline greeted, pulling her sister along with her over to him.

"Hey, guys." He greeted.

"Live band?" Amelia asked, gesturing to the flyer on the bulletin board.

"Yeah, business has been a little slow. The Grill's trying to stay afloat." Matt explained.

"Oh." Amelia said quietly, thinking about how much it would suck if they went out of business.

"Aren't we all?" Care interjected, chuckling nervously.

"Have you heard from Tyler?" Matt asked, changing the subject. It was clear he had been agonizing over this.

"Not a peep, you?" Caroline asked as Amelia shook her head.

"No, not since he stopped by The Grill to talk, and I've left messages on his cell phone." Matt explained.

"He stopped by to see you?" Caroline asked, surprised. "What did he say?"

"Not much, really. I mean, I think to say goodbye without really saying goodbye I just didn't know it." Matt said, shaking his head disappointedly.

"And that's all he said?" Caroline asked, curious.

"Yeah, that's all he said, Caroline… Why? I mean, is there something you want to tell me?" Matt asked, irritated.

"Yeah I - I mean, no, I, uh… it's just not that easy." Caroline stuttered.

Amelia was feeling extremely uncomfortable.

"I don't get it. Since when am I the one who can express himself and you're the one with a loss for words?" Matt asked.

"No, you're right, and I'm sorry." Caroline apologized, quietly.

"You know how I feel - so it's your move. Just make a decision or leave me alone." Matt declared, walking away.

Amelia and Elena were in Alaric's classroom, the door shut.

"It was bad." Alaric told them, pacing. "You know, John planted all these seeds about Isobel and now Jenna knows I'm lying about something."

"John's going to end up dead on the kitchen floor if he's not careful." Elena said.

"Yeah, well, easier said than done. I gave him back his ring, so…" Alaric trailed off, showing them his empty hand. "Look, Jenna keeps asking about Isobel. You know, was she murdered? Why haven't they found the body?" He sighed. "I mean, how much longer can she stay in the dark?"

"You think we should tell her the truth?" Amelia asked, frowning.

"I'm saying I can't be with her and not tell her. It's not fair to her, and it's not the kind of relationship I want." Alaric admitted.

"Not to mention it's becoming more dangerous for her not to know." Elena agreed reluctantly. "I just thought that we'd at least hold off until after we've dealt with Klaus. You know? A-and, even then, how do we tell someone what we know? How does someone hear that?"

Alaric apologized. "Look, I'm sorry to put this on you. But I feel it's your decision to make. And whatever you decide to do, I'll respect it. I want to be honest with her. But until then," Alaric shook his head. "Jenna and I are done."

Amelia, Stefan, and Bonnie were in The Grill when Dr. Martin and Luka approached them. "Thank you for coming." Stefan greeted amicably.

"I didn't want to. But my son made a case to hear you out." Dr. Martin said angrily, sitting down.

"Bonnie said that you have information about Elijah?" Luka asked, joining his father at the table.

Stefan took a deep breath. "Elijah's dead. I'm sorry." He explained.

Dr. Martin and Luka exchanged a panicked look before he glanced at Amelia, feeling bad for her. They began to leave when Stefan put a hand on his shoulder. "Hear me out. We can help you. Please." Stefan told them.

They sat down reluctantly. "We know that Klaus has your daughter." Amelia told them.

"I'm sorry about the way I had to get that information, but it's good that we know. We can all work together to get her back." Bonnie explained.

"How?" Luka asked, interested.

"I suspect that you and Elijah had a plan to kill Klaus. Let us help you carry it out." Stefan pleaded.

Amelia reached out and grasped Dr. Martin's hand, hoping that he'd listen to her. "You can trust us. I give you my word. We all do." She promised.

"Chinese food or pizza?" Caroline asked the girls in Elena's kitchen.

"Like you have to ask." Amelia laughed, looking at Bonnie.

"I will get it." Caroline said, pulling out her phone.

Amelia noticed that her sister was staring at the background - a picture of her and Matt. "I'll do it." She said gently, taking it from her hands.

"Do you believe that Jonas is being sincere?" Elena asked, setting down a bowl of MnM's that Amelia ravaged.

"I don't know what to believe." Amelia mumbled, her mouth full as her sister whacked her. "Hey!"

"I think he's at a loss. He's not sure who to trust." Bonnie finished, taking the phone from Amelia and looking up pizza places.

"Join the club." Amelia mumbled, her mouth full of MnM's as Elena said the same thing. Amelia thought about Damon and how he had trusted him so much, but then he had gone behind her back to kill her brother…

"Well, what are we going to do about this movie situation?" Caroline burst out. "What about The Notebook?"

Amelia swallowed. "Ugh, God! Nothing romantic, please…" She moaned.

"Caroline, how many times have you seen that movie?" Elena asked her, chuckling.

"That is so not the point." Caroline protested.

"Well, yeah, I mean…" Elena trailed off, seeing that Jenna had just come in the room. "Hey." She greeted, smiling at her aunt.

"What's going?" Jenna asked, setting down her jacket.

"Girl's night." Amelia explained, shoving more MnM's into her mouth.

"Oh." Jenna said casually.

"How are you doing?" Elena asked, concerned.

"You heard about my fight with Ric." Jenna realized.

Amelia swallowed. "He feels terrible." She told her, shaking her head sadly.

"Is this some kind of disguised attempt to cheer me up?" Jenna asked.

Amelia frowned - it hadn't been, but it could be.

"No, no this is about us girls hanging out. And, you know, we'll be here if you happen to want to talk, or…" Elena trailed off.

Caroline raised her hand. "Because I am a winner when it comes to successful relationships." She said sarcastically.

"You too?" Jenna asked bitterly.

Caroline shook her head. "You have no idea." She told her.

"Okay, then." Jenna said, opening the fridge door. "It's this whole Isobel thing. He's hiding something from me." She sighed.

"To play devil's advocate," Amelia chimed in, "Maybe, there is a _great_ reason why he's not telling you."

"Maybe he is just trying to protect you." Caroline agreed.

"Well, that's not his call to make. I mean, I deserve the truth. Everybody does." Jenna disagreed, frustrated.

"Well, sometimes it's harder than that." Caroline explained, feeling her comment hit close to home. All three girls looked up at her, feeling bad.

"Not if it's somebody you care about, it isn't." Jenna said.

Caroline was quiet for a moment, thinking about what she said. "You know what we need?" She asked cheerfully. "Dancing. There is a band at The Grill." She suggested.

"Ugh…" Amelia groaned. She had been really looking forward to snuggling on the couch with her bowl of MnM's.

"I'm in." Jenna said.

"In!" Bonnie agreed.

"In." Elena echoed.

All eyes turned to her.

"Fine." She groaned, setting her mostly empty bowl on the counter as the girls squealed in delight.

"Are you sure about this?" Jonas Martin asked his son, setting down a lit candle. "I mean, I would go if I could."

"No, I'm not strong enough to send you." Luka disagreed, playing with his hands nervously. "I can do this."

Jonas sat down at the table with his grimoire. "I'll stay anchored. Use all my energy. If you feel weak…" He instructed.

"Dad, I want this just as much as you." Luka interrupted.

Jonas gave his son a small smile, proud of the strong, young man he had become. The pair grasped hands, almost as if they were about to engage in an arm wrestling match, before covering their hands with their second hand. "Concentrate on Elijah." Jonas instructed. "Picture him in your mind."

Luka took a deep breath. "I got it." He said.

Jonas began chanting his incantation and Luka gasped. "I'm in the Salvatore House. Elijah's body must be here." He explained.

"What do you see?" Jonas asked.

"Elena and Damon. They're reading." Luka reported.

"Good. If Elijah's there, you'll sense him. Stay focused." Jonas instructed.

Katherine sighed and went to lean up next to Damon.

Damon blinked in irritation and ignored her for a minute before asking, "Can I help you?"

"I'm bored." Katherine told him. Damon sighed, continuing to read as Katherine leaned in closer. "'Emily Bennett was taken by the council today. They kidnapped her from her home and took her to the same location her ancestors were burned a hundred years ago.' So, Emily died on the site of the massacre, too. Does it say where?" She asked, trying to snatch the book from his hands.

"Nope." Damon told her. "You know this whole friendly, cooperative, thing?"

"Mhm?" Katherine asked, snuggling closer to him.

"I don't buy it." He whispered.

"I have no reason to lie to you, Damon." She said.

"Lie." Damon whispered.

"I'm hungry." Katherine groaned.

"You're the unwanted houseguest. Go feed yourself." Damon said, annoyed, returning to his reading.

Katherine sighed and went downstairs into the freezer to grab a blood bag. She had no idea that Luka was watching her, but she whirled around, sensing that something wasn't right.

Stefan sighed, setting down a book. "Well, nothing in any of these. Find anything?" He asked.

Damon nodded, looking around. "Nope." He said, for Katherine's sake.

Damon handed him the book and pointed to where he had been reading. "That's too bad." Stefan said loudly, glancing around.

"Yeah, bummer." Damon agreed as Stefan walked off with the book.

Downstairs, Luka was crouched over Elijah's body when Katherine walked in, looking around suspiciously.

Luke gripped the dagger, and began to remove it when Katherine whirled around, having heard the sound of it scraping. She grabbed onto the dagger and pushed it back into his heart, looking around wildly.

"Elena's fighting me!" Luka gasped.

"What's wrong?" Jonas asked.

"She's stronger than me." He admitted.

A dark look overcame Dr. Martin. "That's because it's not Elena. It's Katherine Pierce. Luka. Kill her." He demanded.

"What?" Luka asked, confused.

"She's a vampire. Find a stake and drive it through her heart." He instructed.

Katherine glanced around warily, finding it strange that no one was fighting her any longer. Luka grabbed a wooden chair and smashed it against the wall, causing it to shatter. "Damon?!" Katherine yelled.

Luka staked Katherine just as Damon came around the corner. "Katherine?" Damon pulled the stake out of her. "What happened?" He asked, confused.

Katherine looked over to where the dagger was beginning to come out of Elijah again. "Damon…" She warned.

"Luka what's going on?" Dr. Martin asked his son who was shaking and gasping.

Damon stood up and grabbed a flame thrower, scorching down Elijah's body.

Luka suddenly burst into flames and broke the connection, running around his father's apartment frantically as he screamed. "Luka! Luka! Luka!" Dr. Martin yelled.

Stefan came flying down the stairs. "What're you doing?!" He shouted.

"Shutting down a crazy ass psychic witch attack!" Damon yelled."Get over there and do something about it! Go!"

Back at the Martin's apartment, Jonas grabbed a blanket and threw it over his son, smothering the flames. "Luka, I'm sorry. Oh, my God. Please, just wake up, son. Open your eyes." He began to cry as he realized his son was dead. He grabbed the grimoire and began leafing through it frantically, looking for a spell to bring back his son. He found an incantation and repeated it, but nothing happened. "Luka… my boy." He sobbed.

Amelia followed the girls inside The Grill apprehensively, feeling nervous in the large crowd. Of course, Caroline was already bouncing to the beat - this was her scene. Amelia didn't remember ever seeing The Grill this crowded. The band sang an unfamiliar song, but nobody cared.

Jenna glanced around and her eyes landed on Alaric. "Ugh, I need a drink…" She trailed off, heading to the bar.

It seemed like Matt was walking over to them. "Hey, Matt." Caroline said excitedly, but he walked right past them, ignoring her.

Amelia put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Things just got real awkward." Bonnie said, grimacing.

Over at The Grill, Alaric approached Jenna. "Hey, Jenna." He greeted apprehensively.

"Not tonight, Ric. Tonight I have traded you for Señor Tequila." She said, taking a shot.

"Yeah, well, Señor Tequila's not going to be treating you very well." He chuckled.

Jenna looked at him. "Well, the two of you have a lot in common." She said coldly.

"Look, Jenna, I hate that you're this upset with me." Alaric admitted.

Jenna interrupted him. "Yeah, well, that's your fault because whatever it is you're keeping from me - whatever you think I can't handle - you're wrong. 'Cause last year I was a grad student who smoked a lot of pot and couldn't keep a goldfish alive, and now I'm a parent, so I think I can handle anything, Ric." She fumed, turning away.

"Jenna!" Ric called after her, upset, but she didn't look back.

Amelia gave her sister a side-hug. "He said the ball's in your court." She reminded her.

"Yeah, but I can't do anything about it." Caroline said, shrugging, feeling downtrodden.

"Why not? All you do is talk about how much you care about him." Amelia encouraged.

"Yeah, but I am still keeping so many secrets." Caroline reminded them.

Elena chimed in, "Alaric's in the same boat with Jenna and maybe that's our mistake. We're trying to protect the people that we love by keeping them out of it, but in the end, we're hurting them anyway."

Amelia thought about Liz, and how that might not necessarily be true. _Amelia? She was never my daughter…_

Caroline glanced up at the stage thoughtfully before shrugging out of her jacket.

"What are you doing?" Bonnie asked.

"Where are you going?" Amelia questioned.

Caroline continued forward, not answering them. "What is she doing?" Elena asked them.

Amelia watched in shock as her sister climbed onto the stage and stood in front of the microphone. "Hey, everybody!" Caroline said nervously. "Let's hear it for the band! Weren't they awesome?" She asked, as the crowd cheered and clapped.

"This isn't going to end well." Jenna said, appearing next to them, and taking another shot.

"So, there's this guy." Caroline explained. "And, uh, he told me to tell him how I feel about him." She chuckled. "Like it's so easy. Um, you know, just because I talk a lot doesn't mean I always know what I'm actually talking about. Ah, like now, and I'm feeling loopy and I don't really know how to express myself, um…"

The singer of the band reached over and tried to grab the microphone.

"I can sing. Yeah! Yeah. You know what - I'm gonna sing." She declared.

"Come on, off the stage." The singer told her.

Caroline turned to him and discreetly compelled him. "You are going to let me live out my rock star fantasies, and you are going to be my back-up." She whispered.

"What will it be?" He asked.

Caroline whispered something to him and he told the other band members.

Meanwhile, Amelia and her friends were watching, petrified. "Oh boy, here we go…" Amelia mumbled. She knew her sister was good at singing, but she hoped she could live down this moment.

The guitarist began to strum and Caroline sang, "Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlin'. Do you hear my heart beating?"

"She's good." Jenna told the girls, surprised.

"Yeah." Bonnie nodded, agreeing.

"Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame? I believe, it's meant to be, darlin'. I watch you when you are sleeping. You belong with me." Caroline sang, looking across the room into Matt's eyes. Amelia noticed that Jenna and Alaric were also exchanging a longing look. "Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Is this burning an eternal flame? Say my name, sun shines through the rain. Oh, life, so lonely, you come and ease the pain! I don't want to lose this feeling, ohhhhhh, noooooo!"

Amelia felt a huge grin light up her face as Matt ran onto stage and kissed Caroline. The crowd cheered and clapped and she couldn't help but cheer right along with them. Amelia laughed as Matt dipped her sister before bringing her back up again for another kiss.

Dr. Martin was shaking as he grabbed Elena's hairbrush, a picture of her in her cheering uniform, and her necklace. He grabbed his grimoire, and began muttering the locator spell.

Stefan Salvatore broke down the door and came face to face with the distraught witch.

"You killed him!" Jonas yelled, advancing upon Stefan.

"Ahh!" Stefan groaned in pain, falling on the floor as Jonas concentrated his hate and anger on him

"He's dead and I have no one. And now you're about to find out exactly what that feels like." He spat, stepping over Stefan as he exited the building.

Stefan sat up and felt his heart begin to pound as he saw the picture of Elena on the carpet.

Katherine was resting on the couch, recovering from her injury when Damon walked in, toting a blood bag. "Here you go." He said, handing it to her.

Katherine yelled in pain as Damon stabbed her in the side with a stake. "Ah! What the hell?" She growled.

Damon leaned down close to her. "That's for not telling me the dagger would kill me." He shoved the stake in further, relishing in her scream. "Next time…" Damon lifted her chin, "It does in your heart." He promised, walking away from her.

"Is that how you treat someone who," Katherine groaned as she pulled the stake out, "Is trying to help you?"

"Want to help? Start talking." Damon suggested, annoyed.

"I'd love to, but you're not going to like it." She promised.

"Try me." Damon said, throwing his arms out wide.

Katherine stood up, clutching her side. "Fine. John Gilbert and Isobel want you and Stefan out of Elena's life." She said.

"That's old news." Damon said, disappointed.

"Not the part where he offered me a deal. He knew that killing Elijah would get me out of the tomb, so he gave me a choice. Either I stay and help with Klaus, or he kills Stefan." She told him.

"But he still tried to have me killed." Damon grimaced, confused.

"Right. That was part of the deal - I could only save one of you." She explained.

"So you chose Stefan." Damon realized, feeling incredibly hurt. _It was always Stefan!_ "Of course you did." He said, pressing his lips together.

"You wanted the truth, Damon. Would you rather I lie?" She asked.

Damon shook his head and made a pained facial expression.

Elena barged into the bathroom and was surprised to find Caroline and Matt making out. "Ahh! Oh, uh, sorry." She apologized, shutting the door.

"Sorry, Elena!" Caroline squeaked, covering her face.

Elena laughed and bumped into Bonnie who was heading her way. "I-I wouldn't. Caroline and Matt are…" She trailed off, pointing to the bathroom.

"In the bathroom?" Bonnie whispered, shocked.

"If they're happy, I'm happy." Elena shrugged, chuckling, starting to walk away.

"Um, hey, speaking of happy, would it freak you out if I started dating your brother?" Bonnie blurted out, following her.

The smile fell off Elena's face and she turned around slowly, shocked. "You're into my brother?" She asked.

"I know it's weird, um, but he's been so good and strong. It makes me happy… and I really can't tell what you're thinking… right now." Bonnie rambled nervously.

Elena chuckled awkwardly. "I-I'm thinking that… my brother has had more pain in his life than a hundred people's worth of pain and… he deserves to be with someone as amazing as you." She decided.

"Really?" Bonnie asked, thinking it was too good to be true.

"Really." Elena agreed, pulling her best friend into a hug. She pulled away as her phone began to ring. "My phone… Hey, Stefan, I'm at The Grill. I can't hear you. Hold on… Yeah." She said, walking outside.

Amelia joined Bonnie, breathlessly. "Hey! I've been looking everywhere for you."

Both girls looked over as they saw Dr. Martin walk inside, looking strange. His eyes trailed the room, like he was looking for someone. Bonnie and Amelia exchanged a look before following him.

"Where are you going?" Katherine asked Damon, annoyed as he put on his jacket.

"Luka Martin's dead. His father's going after Elena." He explained quickly.

"I'm coming with you." Katherine said, standing up and setting the blood bag down.

"No, you're not." Damon said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Katherine said, appearing in front of him.

"I don't need your help. I don't want it." Damon seethed, thinking about what she had told him earlier.

"I know what we can do, Damon." She explained. "You have to let me do it."

"Dr. Martin, are you okay?" Bonnie asked him.

"Where is she?" He commanded.

"I don't understand." Bonnie said, shaking her head.

"My son is dead!" Jonas told them.

Amelia chimed in, realizing the situation was really, _really_, bad. "Whatever it is you think you need to do, there's a better way." She advised, sounding much more confident than she felt.

"They killed Elijah - your brother! - and they killed Luka. And my only shot at getting my daughter back is if I have Elena." He explained.

"No. No, Dr. Martin." Amelia denied, shaking her head, trying to fix the situation.

Jonas looked across the bar and suddenly all of the lights exploded and went dark.

"Where is she?" He demanded, grabbing onto Bonnie.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her." She lied, shaking her head.

Jonas looked across the other half of The Grill, and those lights exploded, too, leaving them in near darkness.

Matt had just ducked out of the bathroom and Caroline was smiling giddily to herself when Stefan and Elena burst through the door.

"Hey!" Caroline greeted.

"We have a problem." Elena said.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked, her mood suddenly sinking.

"Jonas is here and he's after Elena." Stefan explained.

"Oh, my God!" Caroline exclaimed, surprised.

"We have a plan, but I need to get Elena out of here." Stefan said.

"Well, what can I do?" Caroline offered.

"No one's getting out of here until I have her." Jonas said.

"Don't do this. Please, don't do this." Bonnie begged, terrified for her best friend.

Jonas sighed and used his mind to explode all of the liquor bottle on the bar. He set a fire with his mind, causing the line of alcohol to go up in flames.

Amelia gasped as Jonas touched Bonnies forehead and she fell to the floor unconscious.

"Bonnie!" Amelia yelled, kneeling over her friend as she watched Jonas walk away. "Bonnie!"

Suddenly, Matt was next to her. "Bonnie! What happened?" He asked.

"I-I don't know." Amelia lied. "Bonnie!" She yelled, as her eyes fluttered.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Matt yelled, half carrying Bonnie.

Amelia left Bonnie with Matt when she saw Elena weaving through the crowd with Stefan. "Dr. Martin!" Elena called. "I'm so sorry about Luka. I never wanted that to happen, but… At least let us help you get your daughter back." She offered.

Amelia halted to a stop on the other side of her friend. "Only Elijah can do that." Jonas replied.

"You don't need Elijah." Elena promised.

Stefan grabbed onto Elena as Jonas made the flame shoot up higher.

Caroline became a blur and leapt onto Dr. Martin, but he held up his hand and punished her with his mind.

Caroline screamed and Amelia yelled, "Stop it!"

"Caroline!" Matt yelled, running over and grabbing onto Dr. Martin. "Get away from her!" He commanded.

"Matt, no!" Caroline yelled.

Amelia watched in horror as Dr. Martin smashed a bottle on the counter and shoved it into Matt's neck.

Amelia left Caroline and Matt, knowing that she would heal him and ran after Dr. Martin as he left The Grill.

She looked around the street frantically, but it was too late. She had lost sight of him. Minutes later, she sped into the Gilbert's driveway and ran inside just as Stefan and Elena had shut the door.

"Thank, God." Bonnie said, seeing her friends safe.

"It's not over yet." Elena said.

"What's going on?" Jeremy asked.

"He'll explain." Elena said, gesturing to Stefan as she walked up the stairs.

"When did you guys get home?" Stefan asked.

"A few minutes ago." Bonnie replied, confused.

"Did you check the house?" Amelia asked, worried.

"And why would we check the house?" Jeremy asked naively.

Elena walked into the bathroom and turned the sink on. She flinched in surprise when she looked up and saw Dr. Martin standing behind her.

Dr. Martin grabbed her as she tried to escape and froze as he sensed a terribly cold, dead feeling coming from her.

Katherine Pierce felt veins appear under her eyes and she leapt onto him, digging her veins into his neck as she drank his blood.

Dr. Jonas Martin screamed but eventually fell silent as he fell to the floor.

The rest of the gang came running up the stairs as they heard the screams.

Katherine pushed her hair out of her face, her mouth covered in blood. "You're welcome." She said.

Bonnie knelt down next to him. "You didn't have to kill him!" She said, feeling terrible.

"Yes, we did." Amelia said quietly kneeling down next to him as well.

Bonnie leaned in closer to shut his eyelids when he suddenly sat up straight and grasped onto both of the witches arms. "Ah!" Amelia yelled, shocked.

"Ah! Get off!" Bonnie screamed.

Amelia was overwhelmed by the information he sent through her brain.

Stefan ran forward and snapped his neck, finally killing him.

Downstairs, Elena paced, sighing. "How did you guys convince her to do this?" She asked.

Damon Salvatore took a deep breath. "We didn't. It was actually her idea." He told her.

"Wow, that's… not good." Elena realized.

"No." Damon agreed. "No, that's not good at all."

Stefan, Katherine, and Amelia came down the stairs. Amelia noticed that Damon was looking her up and down - looking for injuries probably, but she ignored his stare. "Everything's taken care of." Stefan said.

Katherine sighed. "I'm guessing you're going to want this back." She said, ripping the ugly necklace off her neck. "But your pretty little outfit is going to need a good dry clean."

Elena stepped forward and snatched it from her hand. "You're going to have to get her out of here before Jenna gets home." Elena told Stefan, and he nodded.

"Is that all you have to say to me?" Katherine asked in disbelief.

"This doesn't change the way I feel about you." Elena told her quietly.

"I don't much like you, either, if we're going to be open. And frankly, I'd be happy to see you dead, but if we're going to try to take on Klaus, we kinda need you to be alive, so I'm not a threat to you, Elena. If any of you are going to believe anything, believe that." Katherine emphasized.

Amelia Whitmore stood outside Damon's bedroom, trying to gather up the courage to knock.

Her heart sank when she heard Katherine's voice intermingled with his. She thought about how they had been sharing the house, and what had happened last time she had seen them together in this house…

"You hurt me today." Katherine pouted.

"Tit for tat." Damon responded.

"You were mean, and very rough. And monstrous." She flirted.

"You deserved it." Damon said, no remorse in his voice.

"I like this Damon." Katherine purred.

"Katherine… Katherine, there are six other bedrooms in this house." Damon told her. It was quiet for a moment and then Amelia heard a loud thump, like she had fallen off the bed… Or he had pushed her. "Go find one." He emphasized.

Amelia backed away as the door opened and Katherine slinked out. "Hmph." She pouted, pushing past the young girl as she strutted down the hall in her sexy nightgown. Amelia glanced down at her own clothing - a pair of muddy sneakers, jeans, and a red tee shirt that said, "Go Timberwolves!"

She self-consciously took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Go to hell!" Damon yelled.

Amelia pushed to door open tentatively walking inside.

"Oh, it's you." Damon realized, feeling guilty. "Sorry, I thought you were…"

"Katherine." Amelia finished for him. "Yeah, um, I saw her leave…"

Damon set his book down and stood up. "Nothing happened, I swear." He promised frantically, not wanting her to jump to conclusions.

Amelia chuckled, shaking her head. "Yeah, um, I couldn't help but overhear you last part of the conversation." She told him.

They were silent for a few moments as they appraised each other. "I'm surprised you're here." Damon admitted.

Amelia took a deep breath. "Me too. I-I was just so angry with you for the longest time… And I'm still mad, but I know you did it to keep Elena safe… and, I'm grateful for that." She admitted, playing with her hair shyly. "I just wish you wouldn't have gone behind my back about it. I used to trust you implicitly, but now…" She trailed off, feeling unsure.

Damon stepped closer to her, sighing as he took his hands in his. "I'm sorry, little witch, truly, but I know if I had told you, you would have stopped me." He apologized.

"I know." Amelia agreed.

In Caroline Forbes' bedroom, Matt Donovan sat up, gasping and coughing.

"Hi." Caroline said shyly.

Matt looked around, confused, and rubbed his neck where he knew an injury should be. "What the hell?" He asked. He knew he had been stabbed… "And, your face… And all the blood. I-I drank your blood." He realized, sitting up.

"You were dying." Caroline explained. "My blood healed you."

"What do you mean, it healed me?" Matt asked, standing up. "How can your blood heal me?"

Caroline stood up as well, taking a deep breath. "Because that's what vampire blood does for humans, and that's what I am. I'm a vampire, Matt." She explained, finally telling him the truth.

Matt backed away from her, shaking his head. "No."

"But it's all going to be okay, because I am going to tell you everything, and you're gonna understand why I had to keep it from you, and we're gonna be fine!" Caroline rambled, trying to convince herself.

"We'll be fine?" Matt asked, backing away from her.

"Yes, because we'r together and we love each other." Caroline explained, laughing nervously.

"Vampires. Oh, my God… Vickie, oh, my God, at the hospital, I thought that she was tripping out!" Matt realized.

"What?" Caroline questioned.

"Vickie, she knew about vampires and I… What - what did you do?" Matt asked.

"What? Nothing. Nothing. Matt!" Caroline protested.

"I need to get out of here." Matt decided, trying to run away.

"No, no, no! I can't let you leave. I cannot let you leave!" Caroline yelled, appearing in front of him.

Matt grabbed onto her. "What did you do to my sister?" He cried.

"Nothing! Nothing! I swear, I swear. Nothing, nothing!" Caroline promised.

"What did you do?! What did you do?!" Matt demanded, shaking her as tears streamed down his face.

"Nothing, Matt! You have to calm down! Matt!" Caroline yelled.

Jenna sat at the table, eating straight out of the tub of ice cream in the Gilbert home. "Are John and Jeremy asleep?" She asked Elena.

"I think so." Elena said, sitting down and taking the spoon from her.

"If I go to bed, right now, there's a chance I'll wake up hangover-free." Jenna said as Elena took a bite of ice cream.

They both looked to the door in surprise as the doorbell rang. "Who's that?" Jenna asked.

Elena let Jenna answer it before deciding to join her.

"Hi, you must be Jenna." A familiar voice said.

Elena halted in her tracks in shock.

"I'm… Elena's mother." She said.

"Isobel." Elena whispered, surprised.

Jenna looked back and forth between them in disbelief as she realized this was definitely _not_ their first time meeting.


	41. S2 Chapter 17: Know Thy Enemy

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Seventeen: Know Thy Enemy**

**April 9, 2010**

"Hello, Elena." Isobel greeted as Jenna and Elena stared at her in shock under the protection of the house. "It's nice to see you again."

Jenna looked at Elena, feeling dumbstruck. "Again?"

Elena opened and closed her mouth, speechless.

Isobel turned her attention to Jenna. "So, you're the woman who's dating my husband. I need to speak to Elena. May I come in?" She asked.

"N-no! Don't - don't invite her in." Elena commanded.

"I need to talk to you, Elena." Isobel repeated.

"No!" Elena yelled, slamming the door in her face.

Elena turned around to face her distraught aunt who had tears on her face. "You knew she was still alive?" She asked.

Elena grimaced, unsure of what to say. That only seemed to enrage Jenna more.

"Ric? John? Did they know?" She asked angrily, a tear rolling off her cheek and falling onto her shirt.

"I can explain everything, Jenna." Elena begged, a tear falling from her eye, terrified.

"No." Jenna whispered, turning and running up the stairs.

"No, Jenna, no, please!" Elena begged, running after her. "Jenna, please. Wait!"

Jenna ran into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

"Jenna, Jenna, please, wait!" Elena cried, tugging on the locked door handle. "Jenna, you have to talk to me. I-I need to explain what's going on." She knocked on the door.

Jenna slid down the door and sat on the floor, her hands in her hair stressfully.

"Jenna, please." Elena sighed.

"She just showed up at their front doorstep." Stefan said, descending the long staircase in the Salvatore Boarding House.

"What's she doing here?" Damon asked, following after his brother.

"I don't know. That's what I'm gonna go find out." Stefan replied.

Katherine appeared, wearing a sexy, low-cut tank top. "I don't think that you should tell her that I'm here." She suggested.

"What? Why?" Damon asked.

Katherine sighed. "It's better that her and John not know that I stayed in town after I got out of the tomb." She explained.

"You're the one in cahoots with them." Damon reminded her. "You made a deal with John that almost got me killed."

Katherine shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "I did what I had to to get out of the tomb." She said apathetically. "Now, I'm reconsidering my alliance." She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly and turned around.

"What do you know?" Stefan demanded.

Katherine took a deep breath before spinning back around, her long curly hair twirling with her. "I know that I want Klaus dead, which puts me squarely on team you." She said, pointing at the brothers. "Besides, if you two ever need me to swap places with Elena again, the less people that know I'm here, the better." She argued practically, shrugging. "Think about it, Stefan. Come on. Be smart."

Stefan nodded. "Tell you what. You two, uh, call Alaric and let him know that his wife just showed up on his girlfriend's doorstep." He instructed, making a clicking sound at them and winking before leaving the room.

"Has Jenna woken up yet?" Alaric asked Elena hesitantly from the porch.

Elena opened the door and he walked inside. "She won't come out of her room." She explained.

"What'd you tell her?" He asked.

Elena threw her hands out wide. "Nothing." She said, feeling exasperated. "She won't talk to me."

Ric sighed. "We're gonna have to fix this, Elena." He said worriedly.

Elena crossed her arms and nodded, agreeing with him. "Yeah." She looked up when she heart footsteps on the stairs. "Hey!"

"Jenna." Alaric greeted, shocked.

"I don't want you here, Ric. You need to go." Jenna said breathlessly, carrying her bags with her.

"Okay, listen. I can't begin to imagine what you must be feeling right now." Alaric started.

"Rage and betrayal would pretty much cover it." Jenna spat.

"Where are you going?" Elena asked tentatively, concerned.

Jenna sighed, throwing her coat on. "I'm going to stay on campus. I have a thesis to write, and I don't want to be in this house." She told them, gathering up her bags.

"Jenna, please, let us explain to you exactly what is going on." Ric offered.

Jenna ignored him, turning to her niece. "Elena, I need you to go to the Lockwood's today and accept the Historical Society's check for your mom's foundation." She told her.

"O-okay, but, Jenna, please just-." Elena pleaded.

Jenna walked out the door, pausing on the porch. "I don't have it in me to hear any more lies from you." She cried, her voice breaking.

"Jenna, just-!"

"Let her go." John instructed, coming around the corner. "It's better that she's not here, what with everything that's going on. But, maybe had you been a little more honest with her from the beginning, this-."

Alaric whirled his arm back before punching John squarely in the head. John stumbled back, holding onto his inured head. Elena watched in shock, open mouthed. "Sorry, Elena." Ric apologized, walking out the front door angrily.

Elena began to laugh as he left. She turned to John, who had blood running down his nose. "You know this is your fault, right?" She mocked.

"Right." John agreed, watching his only daughter walk away from him.

"I can't find him anywhere." Caroline said, shutting the door to her house and walking out to her car. "He's not at home. He's not answering his phone."

"How could you let him go?" Stefan's voice asked on the other end of the phone.

"My mom walked in and he just took off! I didn't know what to do." She admitted.

Stefan was concerned. "Did your mom hear anything?" He questioned.

"No, she just thinks we're fighting. But, he knows about me, and he's freaking out about Vickie." Caroline admitted, buckling her seatbelt.

"All right, listen, you have to find him." Stefan instructed. "You have to calm him down. Compel him if you have to. Is he still on vervain?"

"I slip it into his soda when he's at work, but I didn't get to last night, so it's out of his system. He has a catering shift at the Lockwood's today. I'm gonna try there." Caroline hung up and pressed a button in her high-tech car. "Call Matt." She told the robot.

"Calling Matt." The voice echoed.

It went straight to voicemail and Caroline groaned, pulling out of her driveway.

"Ah, this is bad." Elena said to Stefan. "Between Isobel and Jenna and now Matt, this is disaster bad."

"Yeah." Stefan agreed, nodding.

Elena looked up as John walked into her bedroom. "Elena, can you come downstairs, please?" He requested politely. "I need to talk to you."

Elena shook her head, laughing bitterly. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Please. It's important. You too, Stefan." John said, walking downstairs.

Stefan and Elena shared a look before following him down.

Elena froze in shock as she saw her birth mother standing in front of her. "I asked John for a do-over." Isobel explained.

Elena spun around to look at John. "You invited her in?" She asked him incredulously.

"She has information about Klaus." John said quietly. "Please, just listen to her, okay?"

Elena shifted her gaze to Stefan and he stepped forward. "All right. What do you know?" He demanded.

Isobel took a deep breath. "Since I was last here, I've been doing everything possible to find Klaus. We knew out best chance was to find him before he could find you." She explained from a wooden dining room chair as Elena paced the room angrily.

"Best chance at what?" Stefan asked.

"Keeping Elena alive." John said.

"You don't get to talk, okay, not after everything you've done." Elena said resentfully.

Stefan put his hands on his hips. "Were you able to find Klaus?" He questioned.

Isobel sighed. "No." She admitted. "Nobody knows where he is. But there are these rumors that are flying around that a doppelgänger exists."

"Which means that any vampire that wants to get in favor with Klaus will be lining up to capture you." John interjected.

Stefan turned to look at Elena, and she shook her head angrily, crossing her arms. "I'm not buying any of this. The last time that you were here, you made it clear that you didn't give a damn about me. Now all of a sudden I'm supposed to believe that you want to help?" She laughed bitterly.

"Isobel's been helping all along." John told her. "Klaus has been obsessed with finding Katherine for centuries. All it would take was any of those 1864 tomb vampires to spread the word around that Katherine was still alive and it would bring him straight here to Mystic Falls, where you were bound to be discovered, so we killed them.

"And almost killed Stefan and Damon in the process!" Elena reminded him.

"Yeah." John agreed, no remorse on his face.

Isobel stood up. "I have a safe house that I can take you to. The deed is in your name. No vampires can get in without your permission, not even me. Let me help you." She pleaded, looking at the daughter she regretted giving up so many years ago.

Elena nodded, stepping forward. "You wanna help?" She asked as Isobel watched her attentively, "Then get the hell out of my house."

Damon cautiously pushed the Martin's door open as Amelia, Bonnie, and Jeremy Gilbert watched from behind him. Damon reached his hand inside and a grin lit up his face. "Yep. Everybody's dead." He gloated.

"We should pack up the grimoires." Amelia suggested. "They spent years collecting them. I want to make sure they're safe."

Damon held a hand out, preventing Amelia from almost tripping over Luka's body on the floor. "You know," He joked, "We could just light up another match and cremate him."

Amelia rolled her eyes and whacked him lightly. "Don't be disrespectful." She scolded.

"Not to him." Bonnie agreed, kneeling down next to her friend.

"Fine, I'll bury him." Damon offered.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Jeremy asked, walking around the room.

"According to Luka's dad, once of these contains a spell that'll let us harness the energy that's left behind when a witch dies violently." Amelia explained as Damon wrapped Luka's body up in a nearby blanket.

"I didn't know you and father witch were so close." Damon said, sounding miffed.

"We weren't." Amelia lied, thinking about her memories of him and her mother… er, Marcella. She thought about the little boy Luka that she had played legos with.

Bonnie stepped forward. "When he gave me my powers back, he gave me a message." She explained.

Amelia gave her a look.

"Us - gave us a message." Bonnie corrected, leafing through a grimoire. "If we can find the spot in town, where the old salem witches were burned, we can harness their energy to use when we need it."

"Great. We'll have to put that on our list of things to do today. Harness ancient dead witch power." Damon grimaced.

"You know where the witches were burned?" Bonnie asked incredulously.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Damon asked glibly, smirking at the witches that were glaring at him.

"Are we gonna have read through every one of these books 'til we find the right spell?" Jeremy asked.

"Not exactly." Amelia murmured, standing in front of the largest bookcase. She held her hands out in front of her and began muttering an incantation. The grimoire that she needed flew out and landed in her hands, opened to the page that they needed. "It's this one."

"Great, grab the rest." Damon instructed. "Let's go."

"Mmm." Isobel hummed as she stepped inside, followed by a man carrying her bags. "Merci, mon cherie." Isobel thanked him in French, pulling the wine bottle from her bag. "Huh."

Suddenly, Isobel spun around and her face vamped out as she sensed a presence. She shoved Katherine Pierce against the wall, before she hit her and turned the tables. "Nice house." Katherine murmured.

"Nicest foreclosure in town." Isobel explained, a smile forming on her face. "Come here!" She told her friend, throwing her arms around her.

Katherine returned the hug before stepping away.

"It's good to see you, Katherine." Isobel smiled.

"I hear you've been busy." Katherine hinted.

Isobel stepped forward, pressing her hands together. "Yes, I have. I've been busy making a deal with Klaus to save your life."

"Here." Isobel said, handing the bottle of wine to Katherine as she gathered glasses.

"Mm." Katherine hummed, tasting it. "Tasty… So what was with the surprise visit to the Gilbert house?"

"John told me Ric was dating Auntie Vanilla… I got jealous." Isobel admitted.

"You have obviously got John wrapped around your finger if he invited you in the house." Katherine realized.

"He thinks I'm helping him protect Elena, so he's been very useful in keeping me informed on everything that's been going on." Isobel admitted, swirling the wine in her glass.

"So, tell me what you know." Katherine demanded.

"You were right, I couldn't get anywhere near Klaus, but I found my way to someone in his trusted circle. One of his witches." Isobel told her.

Katherine scoffed. "Klaus and his witches." She said, taking a sip of wine.

"He said that Klaus is willing to grant you your freedom if we deliver the moonstone and the doppelgänger." Isobel said.

"I can get the moonstone." Katherine agreed.

"No, Katherine. You'd be betraying your Salvatore boys again." Isobel teased.

"I was more than willing to play it their way if I had to, but they're floundering. One of their witches has lost their powers and the other one's not strong enough. They've used they only weapon to kill Elijah. If I stick with them I'm dead. You showing up changes everything." Katherine smirked, finishing off her glass. "More wine?"

"Do you really think that Isobel's telling the truth that words gotten out about the doppelgänger?" Elena asked, cuddled into Stefan in a love seat in the Salvatore's home.

Amelia and Damon were stretched out together on the couch across from them, one of his arms over her.

"Look, I don't trust a word that she says, but I think we'd be stupid to ignore the warning." Stefan advised.

"You know what, you guys should just stay here. It's better for us to keep an eye on you." Damon suggested, ruffling Amelia's hair as she protested. "Just don't steal my side of the bed."

"What, in the house that any vampire can enter? No." Stefan disagreed, ignoring Damon's comment. "Her house is safer."

"Well, then we'll stay there." Damon said.

"So, is that the plan? Neither of you will let me out of your sight again?" Elena asked.

"Let me know when you come up with a better one." Damon suggested.

"Fine, then one of you two bodyguards is gonna have to come with me to the Lockwood Luncheon." Elena sighed.

"That'd be me." Stefan called, smiling.

"Not me, I have witch stuff to attend with my favorite witch… and the judgy one." Damon added as an afterthought.

"Does that mean that you're taking them to the…" Elena trailed off as Damon raised a finger to his lips, shushing her.

Katherine entered the room, still wearing the low cut tank top she had on from before. "Don't get quiet on my account. If you have a plan to combat the impending vampire doom, please do tell." She asked.

Everyone avoided her eyes. Amelia continued playing with Damon's hand, rotating the ring around his finger.

"Seriously, what is the plan to get us out of this mess, hm? I delivered you a moonstone, a werewolf, and the dagger to lure and kill Klaus, and right now, all you have is a moonstone." Katherine taunted. "Or so you tell me."

"No, we have it." Amelia said smugly, thinking about where her and Damon had cleverly hid it.

"Where is it?" Katherine questioned.

"It's in a very safe place." Amelia reassured, smirking at her.

"I've been honest with you. Time to return the favor." Katherine demanded.

"Let me be honest with you. Don't mistake the fact that we haven't set you on fire in your sleep for trust." Damon informed her.

Katherine scoffed. "Like you would have any time, anyway. All you do is cuddle with your precious little infant." She glared, sending Amelia a dirty look. She ran a hand through Damon's hair and whispered in his ear sexily. "When you're ready to come play with the grownups, come find me."

Amelia stood up angrily and glared at Katherine as she fell to her knees, yelling in pain. Amelia crouched down next to her, tilting her head as she listened to her. "What was that?" The witch taunted.

Katherine was silent and Amelia increased the intensity. "Nothing!" Katherine screamed.

"That's what I thought." Amelia agreed, releasing her. Katherine glared at her as she skulked out of the room.

Damon whistled as Elena and Stefan looked at her in shock. "That was hot!" He called, cringing as Amelia turned to glare at him.

Amelia trailed behind Damon, Bonnie and Jeremy, feeling extremely out of shape. "Is this the spot Emily Bennett was killed, too?" Jeremy asked.

Damon thought quietly to himself for a moment. "Founders thought it was poetic, burning her where the other witches burned."

Amelia frowned as she wondered if this would be where she was burned if the Founder's ever found out. Her toe caught on a root and she fell forward, landing hard on her knees. "Ouch." She complained quietly, brushing the dirt and grass off her pants.

"You okay?" Damon asked, suddenly appearing at her side.

"Yeah, fine." She mumbled, continuing forward.

Bonnie gave her a small smile before turning back to Damon. "How do you know where the witches were burned?" She asked, wondering if he had helped.

Damon scoffed, and quickly went to the front of the group, half a step ahead of Amelia. "'Cause I tried to save her. Emily was just my key to getting Katherine back before I knew what a nasty little _bitch_ Katherine was." He told them, picking a stray twig from Amelia's messy hair.

"Heh!" Jeremy laughed.

A few moments later, they came out to an opening, and saw a large, ancient looking home. "Hm." Damon murmured.

"You're sure it's the right place?" Jeremy asked warily.

Damon nodded.

"Definitely." Amelia confirmed.

Jeremy turned to her. "What? How do you know?" He asked her, confused.

"Because she can sense it." Bonnie finished for her, smiling at her friend.

They walked inside cautiously, Damon going in first, and Jeremy trailing behind the two witches.

Amelia looked around at the dusty room, feeling paranoid.

Jeremy yelled in fright as his foot partially broke through the wooden floor.

The rest of the group turned to look at him, Amelia's heart beating hard in fright.

"Dude." Damon complained, giving Amelia a small squeeze on her shoulder as he heard her heart accelerate. He realized she was incredibly nervous to be here.

Damon looked out one of the boarded windows as a few stray rays of light poured in. Suddenly he froze, chuckling, as he looked at Bonnie. "Whatever witchy prank you're playing, don't. It's not funny." He threatened.

Amelia frowned, confused. "I'm not doing anything." Bonnie replied.

"I can't move." Damon informed them, irritated.

Amelia's eyes widened as his skin started to sizzle and he began yelling in pain. "Ahh! Oh, my ring's not working. Do something!" He pleaded.

Amelia and Bonnie closed their eyes, focusing on freeing him. It took a moment as they battled their opposing force, but they were successful.

"Are you okay, Damon?" Amelia asked worriedly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think the witches like you being here." Bonnie taunted.

"I guess this is the right place." Jeremy confirmed.

"I'm gonna go wait outside." Damon said, grimacing. He gave Amelia a once over and opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and left the house.

Amelia frowned as she watched him go, worried.

She was shocked when a large, burst of force knocked her over, sending her flying closer to the door. "Ow, shit! What the hell?" She complained.

"Amelia, are you okay?" Bonnie asked in concern.

Amelia frowned as she began to hear many voices, whispering over each other.

_You should not be here._

_We don't want you here!_

_Vampire sympathizer!_

_Witches should not be in love with _vampires_._

_Disgrace!_

_She is an abomination to nature! She should long ago be dead. _

_You go against the balance of nature!_

_That Esther, always muddling…_

_Out!_

_Get out!_

_Abomination!_

_Disgrace!_

Amelia stood up and began backing away towards the door. "Sorry, Bon. T-they don't want me here." She explained, feeling tears burn in her eyes.

Back at the Salvatore Boarding House, Katherine tore apart every room. She checked in closets, under beds, in every drawer - anywhere she could think of to find the moonstone. She pocketed a wad of cash she found in Damon's room, feeling no remorse.

She closed his underwear drawer, frowning as she saw two photo frames sitting on the dresser. She picked up the first one, a picture of Amelia Whitmore and Damon, carving pumpkins. Amelia was holding her fanged-jack o' lantern proudly for the camera, a large grin on her face, while Damon's witchy pumpkin hung loose in his arm as he looked at her fondly.

Katherine scoffed as she glanced down at the second photo. They were both in fifties outfits, and they were frozen in a swing dance move, their eyes interlocked.

Katherine glared at the pictures, dropping the halloween one onto the floor, and nonchalantly walking on it, her heel cracking the glass as she went to check the fireplace. She knocked on the wood, listening to find hollow spots - but there were none. She reached her hand up, felling inside, but found nothing. She huffed, but dug her hands through the coal, leaving her hands pitch black.

She groaned, irritated, as she turned Damon's sink on and began rinsing her hands. She reached into the soap bowl and pulled out a green bar, quickly cleaning her hands. She dried her hands off and began to leave, her heels clicking on the floor, when she paused and a thought struck her.

She turned around and reached her hand back into the bowl, smiling deviously as she pulled out the moonstone.

Alaric Saltzman was walking out to his car. He opened the backseat and threw his bag inside, before shutting the door to see Isobel, his vampire wife/ex-wife.

"Hi, Rick." She greeted, huge hoops dangling from her ears.

He looked her up and down, swallowing his pain. " do you want?" He demanded.

Isobel shook her head. "Just cleaning up some loose ends." She explained.

"Yeah, we don't have any loose ends." Ric denied.

"You may not. I do." Isobel told him. "I need to apologize to you."

"It's a little late for that." Alaric informed her, going to enter his car.

Isobel stepped forward. "No, not for what I've done in the past. We're beyond that. Although, I am sorry for outing you to your girlfriend. That was petty of me." She admitted.

Alaric shook his head. "Look, whatever jacked-up vampire amends, that you're trying to make with me right now, I'm not interested." He said firmly.

"Of course not, because I compelled you to let me go. I realized that I don't wanna do what I have to do without you knowing how much I loved you. And I did. I loved you so much." Isobel told him, crossing her arms. She looked past Alaric. "He's all yours."

Alaric fell to the ground, clutching his head in pain as a witch appeared behind him.

"I don't understand - you're a witch! And they still won't let you in there?" Damon protested, glaring at the house.

Amelia took a deep breath, sitting on the cold, hard ground. "I think it's because of what Esther did to me… They called me an abomination. Said I shouldn't still be around - that I go against nature…" She told him quietly.

He turned around, looking her up and down, feeling concerned.

"And… they wouldn't let me inside because of my… _affection_… for a vampire." She admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Damon smirked at her.

"I know it's probably not the right time to admit to you my undying love for Stefan?" She joked, winking at him.

Immediately, the smile fell of Damon's face as his mind flashed to Katherine, and how she had chose his brother over him. "Bad joke, little witch." He muttered, crossing his arms as a solemn look overcame his face.

"I-you're right. I'm sorry." Amelia apologized, feeling bad.

Damon ignored her, turning to look back at the house. "Wanna hurry it up in there?" He called. When no one replied, he walked a few steps forward, but the door slammed in his face.

"Screw you too, Emily!" He yelled, wanting to kick the door, but knowing that it probably wasn't the best idea. "You know you're on your own in there!" Damon called to Bonnie and Jeremy, walking away angrily.

Inside the house, Bonnie prepared herself. "Can you hand me the grimoire?" Bonnie requested.

Jeremy sighed, but dug it out of her bag. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

"Are you worried about me?" Bonnie realized, shocked.

"Yeah, of course I am. I-I thought Amelia would be able to help you, but…" He trailed off.

Bonnie stepped forward and wrapped her hands around his neck, pressing a kiss to his lips before stepping away. "I'm sure." She promised.

Bonnie turned to the page she needed and closed her eyes, listening to the whispers.

Jeremy stepped closer to her, frightened. "What is that?" He asked, looking around.

"The spirits of the witches who died here, I can feel them." She explained.

"All right. What are they saying?" He questioned.

Bonnie shook her head. "I can't - I can't tell… Hopefully not whatever they said to Amelia." She said.

"Great." Jeremy muttered shaking his head. He grabbed her bag and hurried after Bonnie as he realized she was moving deeper into the house. "Where are you going?" He called.

Bonnie did not reply until she entered the room she felt she needed to be in. "Here." She said. "This is it. Help me set the candles."

Jeremy dug around in her bag as Bonnie closed her eyes and the voices intensified. "What the hell are they saying?" He asked. Bonnie opened her eyes. "What is it?" He repeated.

"Nothing." Bonnie lied. She looked around warily as the fireplace and all of the candles lit. "They're ready."

"And here to accept the donation to the Miranda Sommers Gilbert Scholarship Fund is Elena Gilbert." Carol Lockwood announced as the crowded room of people clapped for her. Elena exchanged a smile with Stefan before walking towards the small platform and accepting the check.

Just outside the room, John was surprised to see Isobel. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I'm creating a distraction." She drawled playfully before revealing her fangs and hopping on to him, draining the blood from his body.

Elena looked around and felt her heart flutter and the large gathering of people. "The historical society was my mom's baby. She considered all of you family and would be honored and touched by this gift." She spoke confidently, smiling at them.

Whispers began and everyone looked around in confusion as they head a large thumping noise coming from outside the room.

"What's going on?"

"Is he all right?"

Elena was confused as the people poured out of the room and outside into the hall.

"Nice dress." Katherine said, appearing in front of her. She clapped her hand over the human girls mouth. "Mind if I borrow it?"

Outside, Stefan found no pulse as he rotated John's neck, and found the large vampire wound on his neck.

"Please, let the Sheriff do her job!" Carol yelled to the crowd of people.

Liz knelt down next to Stefan. "He's, uh, he's bleeding." He told her. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, I got it. I got it." Liz confirmed.

Stefan stood up and looked around warily, suddenly becoming concerned for Elena.

"You know what, let's all back off. All right? He just needs some air. Everything's fine." Sheriff Forbes commanded.

"Elena? Elena?" Stefan called, looking around.

He turned around to see Elena, a phone held up to her ear.

"You okay?" Stefan asked her.

Elena nodded. "I'm calling Damon." She told him.

"Let's get out of here. Come on." Stefan said, pulling her out of the house.

The real Elena Gilbert was sprawled out in the back seat of Isobel's van, unconscious as she drove them far, far away.

"It's Isobel, Damon, it's gotta be." Elena told him, walking a few steps ahead of Stefan.

"Tell him he needs to get over here and deal with John's body." Stefan instructed.

"You've got some serious explaining to do to the council about John being not so dead." Elena told him.

Suddenly, Stefan pushed Elena forward, realizing that it was Katherine. "Where the hell is she? Huh?" He demanded, shaking her.

Stefan groaned in pain as Katherine stabbed him with a vervain dart.

"I'm sorry, Stef, but I can't have you following me." Katherine explained, tossing him into the bushes and stepping into his car.

The voices in the witch house continued their whispering. "Oh, God." Bonnie whispered.

"Bonnie?" Jeremy asked worriedly.

Bonnie began grunting.

"You're scaring me here." Jeremy admitted, stepping closer to her.

"Ahh! Ah!" Bonnie yelled in pain, beginning to scream.

"Bonnie!" Jeremy yelled, as he was flung across the room.

Bonnie cried and screamed until finally the voices grew silent as did she.

Jeremy scrambled to his feet and gripped onto her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"I did it." Bonnie whispered, hugging him.

"I'm sorry for the scare. It was just a bad fall." Carol Lockwood explained, lying to the group as they exited the home. "Paramedics are on their way." She assured.

"Hey." Damon muttered, entering the house. "How is he?"

"He's dead." Liz said, crossing her arms.

Damon knelt down next to him, rotating his head and looking at the distinct wound on his neck before lifting his hand up to see the ring. "He'll be fine in a couple hours." He declared, thinking about Amelia who was out waiting in the car.

"What are you talking about? Damon, he's dead." Carol insisted, confused.

Damon stood up, sighing. "Well, here's the thing. John's ring, it's an old Gilbert family heirloom that protects it's owner from death by a supernatural entity." He explained, grimacing.

"But he's not breathing. He has no pulse." Carol insisted.

"He will be. Trust me." Damon confirmed, picking up John's body and dragging it. "We're gonna need a cover story. Epileptic fit, alcohol binge, whatever works, but right now I just have to get him out of here.

Liz walked out of the home, her phone to her ear. "Yeah. It's a false alarm at the Lockwood's… Okay. Good, thanks." She said, hanging up.

Liz looked up and was surprised to see Matt Donovan. "Hey." She greeted.

Matt turned to look at her. "Sheriff Forbes." He said, breathing heavily.

"Matt, what's wrong?" She asked, worried.

"I wanna see Vickie's file." He demanded.

"What?" Liz asked, surprised.

"My sister." He repeated. "I want to see her file. I want to see how you covered up that she was killed by a vampire."

A harrowing look came over Liz's face. "Matt, you need to calm down. You're upset." She insisted, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Matt grabbed onto her. "Don't! Don't lie to me!" He yelled.

Liz flipped him around and shoved him onto the hood of her car."Matt! You need to calm down now!" She yelled.

Damon walked through his front door, and dropped John Gilbert onto the floor carelessly.

"Damon." Amelia chastised, frowning as she looked down at the body.

"What?" Damon scoffed.

Amelia followed him upstairs and sat on his bed as he washed the blood off his hands. He dried off his hands and pulled off his shirt when his phone began to ring. "Stefan? How'd I beat you and Elena home?" He asked confused. Amelia stood up and walked over to him in the bathroom, crossing her arms. "…What?!" He whispered, dropping the phone and searching the soap bowl for the moonstone. "No, no, no, no, no!" He yelled, throwing the dish across the room.

"Damon!" Amelia yelped, frozen in fear.

Damon groaned and put his head in his hands before pulling himself together and walking over to her.

She stumbled back a few steps, panicky, as her heart raced but forced herself to stand still.

"I'm sorry." He muttered, softly resting his hands on her shoulders.

She searched his sincere eyes for a moment before swallowing. "What's going on?"

"Are we good to go?" Isobel asked, her phone up to her ear as she sped down the road.

"I'm at your house. But we have to hurry. Damon knows your lodging tricks. It will take him all of twenty minutes to find out where you're staying." Katherine said, shrugging off her coat.

"We'll be long gone before that." Isobel promised, glancing at her unconscious daughter in the back seat.

"Good. How far are you?" Katherine asked.

Isobel took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Katherine. I had to do what I was told." She apologized.

Elena opened her eyes and looked around warily.

"He wanted the moonstone and he wanted you." Isobel told Katherine.

"He? He who?" Katherine asked as Isobel hung up.

Katherine spun around, and tried to attack the witch standing behind her. Before she could, she fell to her knees screaming as he concentrated, holding his hand out. "Ahh!" She screamed, clutching her head and convulsing on the ground until she fell silent, unconscious.

"Hey, Matt." Caroline said, her phone up to her ear. "If you're listening to this, that means you've listened to the last twenty-five messages I've left you, which all say the same thing, so… Call me." She pleaded, hanging up.

Caroline paused just outside her door, surprised, as she saw Matt standing in her house.

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. "You're here." She said, surprised.

"Your mom brought me here." Matt explained.

"My mom?" She asked.

"I accused her of covering up Vickie's death, and she threatened to arrest me." He told her.

Caroline took a deep breath. "Did you tell her anything else?" She asked, prepared for the worst.

"Nothing about you." Matt said.

Caroline sighed, feeling relieved.

"I got the feeling she wasn't gonna believe anything I said, so I shut up. Then she brought me here to cool down, and then she got called away." Matt explained.

"Matt…" Caroline said, walking closer to him. She frowned as he took several steps away from her. "Why'd you stick around if you're still scared of me?"

"Because I need to know more about Vickie, about Amelia and Elena and the Salvatore's… about you." He told her.

"I'll tell you anything you wanna know." Caroline promised.

"All right, well there has to be something in the grimoire to help us translate that chant." Jeremy insisted, his boots crunching in the leaves.

"It was just a warning." Bonnie explained.

"What kind of warning?" Jeremy asked.

"It's not important." Bonnie insisted.

"Uh, like, it is important to me, okay?" Jeremy said, pausing in his tracks.

Bonnie stopped as well. "It's a lot of power to have access to. They're just telling me to be careful with it." She explained vaguely.

"Well, exactly how much power can you draw from a hundred dead witches?" He asked.

Bonnie smiled at him and closed her eyes, concentrating. The wind began to blow and the clouds moved in overhead, turning the sky dark. Leaves blew all around them and thunder crashed in the sky.

"Bonnie. Bonnie!" Jeremy said, grabbing onto her arm and smiling. "Woah!" He chuckled.

"The answer to your question is a lot." Bonnie told him.

Damon and Stefan climbed out of his Chevy Camaro, followed by Amelia as they pulled up outside of a white house.

"Think this is the house?" Stefan asked.

"Better be. It's the nicest foreclosure in town." Damon explained.

"Swear to God, if she's not here-!" Stefan began.

Damon interrupted him, pissed off. "Don't be such a pessimist."

They crashed into the house and Amelia walked in after them. "I've got upstairs." Stefan said.

Damon made sure Amelia stayed close to him as he wandered the downstairs, knowing it was useless. "This is Isobel's stuff. It's definitely the right place." He said as Stefan ran back down the stairs.

"Where are they?" Stefan asked.

"I don't know, Stefan." Damon seethed, annoyed.

Amelia took a deep breath. "Look, let's just go back home and get something of Elena's and I can do a locator spell." She said practically.

The brothers exchanged a long look before nodding and following after her to the car.

A black SUV pulled up inside of the Grove Hill Cemetery and a man stepped out, opening the door for Isobel. "Just because you can't be compelled doesn't mean I can't force you to come with me." Isobel taunted as Elena stepped out as well.

"So, is that what happened? You were compelled to betray Katherine?" Elena put two and two together.

"If I was, I couldn't tell you." Isobel said, amused.

"So, you lied." Elena said, following after her birthmother. "You did find Klaus, didn't you? He knows where I am now. Are you taking me to him?"

Isobel paused in front of a gravestone and bent down, wiping the dirt and debris from the engraving. "What is this?" Elena demanded, pissed off.

She read the gravestone: Isobel Flemming.

"My parents, your grandparents, they put it here when it became clear that the police weren't gonna find my body. They visit every week, and they bring flowers, even though there's no one buried here. The Isobel they knew is dead. So, maybe there's a part of me that's buried here, the-the human part, the part that I abandoned when I-when I chose to become a vampire. The part that used to dream about the day that she'd know her daughter." Isobel explained.

Elena turned her eyes back to her birthmother. "What?" She asked quietly, surprised.

Isobel shrugged. "And instead you got to meet the other part… the part that would betray her own flesh and blood." Isobel's phone began to ring and she put it up to her ear.

"I have Katherine and the moonstone." The man said from the other line. "Is the doppelgänger safe?" The witch asked.

"Yes." Isobel replied.

"Then let her go." He said.

"Let her go?" Isobel repeated, trancelike.

"Klaus has everything he needs for now." He responded as Elena turned to look at her. "Your part is finished. You did what he compelled you to do."

"I'm done?" Isobel asked.

"You're done." The witch confirmed, hanging up the phone.

Isobel breathed a sigh of relief, a smile on her face as she put her phone back in her pocket.

"Who was that?" Elena asked.

"I'm so sorry, Elena… That I was such a disappointment to you." Isobel apologized, sharing a teary eyed smile with her daughter.

Elena watched in confusion as Isobel reached up and gripped her lapis lazuli necklace firmly before ripping it off and throwing it onto the ground. She held her arms out and screamed as her skin sizzled and burst into flame. She screamed and screamed and screamed and fell onto her grave as Elena gasped and watched in shock.

"Elena!" Amelia called, running up to her friend and throwing her arms around her. "Are you okay?!" She asked, knowing she wasn't, not really, anyway.

Elena nodded, sobs catching in her throat. She hugged her friend for another moment before Stefan approached and wrapped his arms around his girlfriend.

Amelia stepped back and grabbed Damon's hand in her own as she watched her friend cry heartbreakingly. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and glanced away from the steaming, pile of ash that was once Isobel, looking up at her best friend, her protector.

"So after I hurt you in the woods, I made you forget and I promised myself I would stay away from you, but I-I couldn't… 'Cause I love you." Caroline explained to Matt. "I do, I love you, Matt, so much. God, I'm so sorry about what happened to Vickie… about what Amelia had to do… And I really wish you'd say something." She chuckled nervously, looking down at Matt as he sat on the couch.

"I'm all alone." Matt said quietly, refusing to look at her.

Caroline felt like her heart was breaking. "No, you're not." She said.

"My mom doesn't care, my sister's dead, and all of my friends are liars, and you're a-!" Matt started, tears in his eyes.

"I'm still me!" Caroline insisted. "I'm still me. It's just, I'm just a little bit-!" She sat on the couch next to him but he stood up, moving away from her.

"Don't. No. This is too much. All of this is just _too_ much. I don't want to know this." Matt insisted.

"Tell me what I can do." Caroline pleaded. "Tell me what I can do… I-I want to help you."

"You can make me forget. You've done it to me before." Matt said.

"I don't - I don't think that that's…" Caroline began.

"Please make me forget, Caroline. I don't want to look at you and see what I'm seeing right now." Matt pleaded.

"But, maybe after a little while…" Caroline started, hopeful.

"Just make me forget, Caroline!" Matt shouted.

"Okay." Caroline cried, looking down at her hands. "Okay, Matt." She stood up and looked into his eyes, putting her hands on his face.

Elena sat on a couch in the Salvatore Boarding House, playing with a necklace. "Is that Isobel's?" Stefan asked, approaching her.

Elena took a deep breath and nodded. "I never thought I would feel bad about her being dead, and yet…" She trailed off.

"She was your mother." Stefan said.

Elena nodded. "Why did they let me go?" She asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

Stefan shook his head. "Well, anything John told Isobel, we have to assume that Klaus knows, right? So he knows that you're not gonna turn yourself into a vampire. He knows that he has us keeping you safe." Stefan explained.

"He knows that I'm not gonna run." Elena realized, her eyes widening.

Damon walked into the room. "Which, is why we need to take some precautions," He insisted, Amelia following in after him. "'Cause we got played, all of us." He set down some papers into her lap.

"What's this?" Elena asked.

"It's the deed to our house. It's in Zach's name." Stefan explained. "As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name."

"You're giving me your house?" Elena asked, shocked.

"Isobel had the right idea with a safe house." Amelia explained, sitting down on the arm rest next to her friend and setting her hand on her shoulder.

"You'll just stay here till it's all over. That way you can control who gets invited in and who doesn't." Stefan explained.

"Although, I'll be super pissed if you lock me out." Damon told her, an irritated smirk on his face, before giving Elena a real smile.

They all looked over as John gasped awake and sat up. Damon sped over to him, lifting him up by his shirt. "I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do!" John insisted. "I'm sorry." He turned to look at his daughter. "I'm so, so sorry." He apologized.

"Damon, let him go." Elena asked, levelheaded. "He and I need to talk."

"I told you to not worry about that." Bonnie said quietly, walking over to Jeremy as he leafed through the grimoire.

"A warning - that's all you felt like telling me?" Jeremy demanded, throwing the grimoire down onto his coffee table. "This is some kind of warning, Bonnie. It says if you use too much of your powers at once, it'll kill you." He was quiet for a moment before turning to look at her as she sat down next to him. "How much would it take to kill an Original?" He asked, knowing the answer already.

"All of it." Bonnie responded strongly.

"No! I'm not gonna let you do that." He insisted.

"Jeremy, do you think I was born with these powers so I could float feathers and blow out candles? There's a reason I was called to do this." Bonnie explained, trying to make him understand.

"No one's called to get themselves killed. Plus, Elena's not gonna let you die for her… No! There has to be another way, maybe, Amelia can take the powers? Or-or she can help you!" Jeremy insisted.

"No, Jeremy, you can't tell them. I don't need to bring Amelia down with me." Bonnie pleaded.

"Do you even understand what you're saying right now?" Jeremy asked her quietly.

"It's not just for Elena, Jeremy. It's for you. It's for Amelia. It's for everyone! If I am the only one who can put an end to this, then it'll be my decision. No one else's. Mine." She insisted, giving him a long look before walking away.

Jeremy glanced back her her before tossing the grimoire onto the floor angrily, resting his head in his hand.

Matt Donovan was walking outside in the dark when he came to a stop and climbed in the passenger seat of the cop car. "I did it. I drank that vervain stuff. I went over there, and I got her to tell me everything. Then I asked her to take it away." Matt told her.

"Thank you, Matt." Liz said quietly. "I know this isn't easy, but… I'm glad you told me what happened last night… I want you to tell me everything she said." Liz choked out, tears falling down her face.

"I feel like she died." Matt admitted.

"She did." Liz confirmed, sobbing. "My little girl."

"I always knew hat she and Katherine were close," John Gilbert explained. "But I never realized that Isobel and her were working against me. Two of the world's most uncaring and selfish vampires, and yet, they were genuinely friends."

Elena sat across from him on a different couch, her arms crossed. "If that's what you thought of her, why did you ever put your trust in her at all?" Elena demanded, angry.

John leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Because, I was there when she gave birth to you, Elena. I saw how heartbroken she was to give you up. And because… She was the first girl I ever loved, and when she said she'd help keep you safe… I believed her." They were quiet for a moment as father and daughter looked at each other. "At this point, I will do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go."

Elena contemplated what he had said, shaking her head in frustration.

John nodded and stood up.

"You screw up everything, John." Elena said, feeling hurt. "Everything you touch, just falls apart."

John crossed his arms, pausing and nodding.

"But you're the only parent I have left. So maybe I can learn not to hate you." Elena suggested unwillingly.

A small smile lit up John's face. "Okay." He agreed.

In the other room, Amelia accepted a rum in coke begrudgingly from Damon and sat down. "Hey, Bonnie said the spell worked." Damon said casually. "She's locked and loaded."

Stefan sighed, taking a sip of his own drink. "At least something went right today." He was quiet for a moment before saying, "Hm. Katherine has no idea that Bonnie got her powers back."

"Mhm." Amelia agreed, taking a sip.

"And, Isobel had no idea what you guys took Bonnie to do today." Stefan continued. He handed Damon a glass. "We're the only ones who know."

"That literally makes Bonnie our secret weapon." Damon realized, a smile on his face.

Amelia watched as the brothers exchanged a look and clinked their glasses together, downing their drinks.

A little while later, Amelia was cooking chicken and green beans and rolls in her kitchen, calling up the stairs. "Mom! Care! Dinner's almost ready!"

Damon was setting the table, enjoying the view of her bent over as she removed the rolls from the oven. "What? No kiss the cook apron?" He pouted.

Amelia huffed and rolled her eyes at him, but wasn't too harsh as she was in a good mood. "Be good, Damon. I still don't think this is a great idea." She said, taking off her oven mitts with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah." Damon rolled his eyes, smiling at her as he watched her flit around the small kitchen.

"Dinner? I didn't know you were cooking." Caroline said, walking down the stairs.

"Yeah, well, it's been a while since we've had a nice, family meal together." Amelia explained, setting the food on the table.

"Well, what's he doing here?" Caroline asked, a small frown on her face.

"_He_ can here you." Damon glared.

Amelia sighed. "Look, I just want to enjoy a nice meal, okay? No drama please, Care." She pleaded, giving her sister the puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, fine." Caroline groaned grabbing a glass of water.

Just then, Liz came down the stairs. "Oh, Damon. I didn't know you were joining us." She said, feeling nervous as she thought about everything Matt had told her.

Damon smiled at her charmingly. "Yeah, well, I just couldn't resist your daughter's wonderful cooking." He insisted, pulling out a chair for Liz.

"Oh, erm, thank you." She muttered, sitting down warily.

"Is everything okay, Liz?" Damon asked, frowning, as he listened to her heart race.

"What? Yeah, of course. Just a rough day at work." She reassured, forcing herself to calm down.

"And dinner is served!" Amelia smiled, her hands on her hips. "Dig in!" She insisted, sitting between Damon and her mom.

Liz looked around in horror as they began piling food on their plates. To her right, was her daughter, Caroline, the vampire. Across from her was Damon Salvatore, who she had trusted deeply as a friend and a member of the council. He was good friends with Amelia, and also a vampire. To her left was her foster daughter, Amelia. She had murdered Vickie Donovan and was a witch. An unnatural being.

Liz stiffly sat up and looked to Damon. "Can you pass the beans?" She asked.

Katherine opened her eyes cautiously, trying to lift her head up off the floor as she heard the chanting of a male witch - a warlock. The same man who had attacked her. She lifted her head to see the bag that contained a large amount of blood in it, and an empty bag next to it. Katherine sat up and felt at her neck warily. She was surprised to see that it was Alaric Saltzman in the chair - the schoolteacher and Aunt Jenna's boyfriends.

Alaric ripped the IV from his wrist and stood up as the witch bowed to him. He turned around as Katherine stood up. "Alaric?" She asked warily.

Alaric smirked at her and Katherine sped to the door, unable to exit the witchy barrier that had been placed. "Zdravei, Katerina." He greeted. "Mmm." He said, placing his hands on her head. "I have missed you."

"Klaus." Katherine realized, looking up into his eyes, terrified.

Klaus smiled at her.

**A/N: KLAUS!**


	42. S2 Chapter 18: The Last Dance

**The Tragedy of Being a Whitmore**

**Chapter Eighteen: The Last Dance**

**April 26, 2010**

Klaus was tearing through Alaric's closet, looking for something decent to wear. "Oh. Who was this guy? Safari Sam?" He groaned, pulling out two shirts. "Okay, bad, or badder?" He asked Katherine, holding up the shirts to himself as she say from a chair in the middle of the room.

"The dark colors suit you better." Katherine responded quietly.

"Oh, thank you, honey." Klaus said. "Okay, pop quiz. The dagger and white ash are in the Salvatore's possession, correct?

"The dagger was used to kill Elijah. You'll find him in the basement of the Salvatore house." Katherine replied.

"Okay, that dagger needs to stay exactly where it is. The last thing I need to do is resurrect Elijah. Ooh, that guy is a buzzkill." Klaus complained.

"Don't forget you're on the outs with your girlfriend Jenna." Katherine reminded him.

"Right, Elena's aunt. For all the lies about Isobel. What else?" He asked, moving closer to him.

"That's it." Katherine said.

Klaus walked over to her and she cringed as he ran a hand through her hair.

"Oh, so jumpy." He chuckled.

"Please, just… kill me." Katherine begged. "I've told you everything that I know."

Klaus… Alaric… Klaus… leant down next to Katherine. "You see, I believe that you believe that. But what could you not know? What could they be keeping from you? Hmm? Anything? Tell me." He compelled.

"They were trying to see if Bonnie could find a way to kill an Original without a dagger." Katherine said.

"Bonnie the best friend? The newbie witch? Not Amelia Whitmore, correct? Elijah's sister? God, that Esther, always meddling." Klaus complained.

"Yes." Katherine said. "Bonnie didn't want Amelia to do it… it had to be her."

Klaus sighed, standing up. "I thought you said she didn't have her powers anymore."

"She doesn't. Or did't. I-I don't know. You kidnapped me, remember? I'm kinda out of the loop." Katherine complained.

"Well, we'll have to get to the bottom of that." Klaus insisted, crossing his arms.

"Please, just kill me, Klaus, and be done with it." Katherine begged.

"And how you kindness?" Klaus asked. "I'v searched for you for over five hundred years. Your death… is going to last at least half that long." He promised.

Katherine was silent as she realized what he meant… two hundred and fifty years of torture… at least…

Klaus took something out of his pocket and handed it to her. "I want you to take this knife… and stab yourself." He commanded.

Katherine took it from him, stabbing it into her leg and groaning.

"Now take it out." He instructed.

"Ah!" She protested, ripping it out of her leg as her wound healed.

"Now while I'm gone, I want you to do that over and over and over again. And if you get bored… switch legs." He commanded, smiling at her sadistically.

Katherine sighed, resigned to her fate. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm gonna go lay eyes on my precious doppelgänger… and my little Amelia Whitmore. I need to see her with my own eyes. See if she's the real deal." He told her, leaning down next to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Oh, don't look so glam, Katerina. The fun is just beginning…" He trailed off, exiting the room. "Again!" He demanded.

Katherine groaned as she slammed the knife into her leg.

"Please sign here, and here." The man instructed, pointing at the paperwork in the Salvatore's home.

"Okay." Elena chuckled, feeling silly.

"So, this place is all yours? They just gave it to you?" Bonnie asked.

"For now." Elena agreed. "As sole owner, I'm the only one who can invite a certain type of person in here, if you know what I mean." She said, giving her a look as she discreetly pointed to the man from the bank.

"Your own personal safe house." Amelia said, smiling.

"That's the idea." Elena agreed.

"Wouldn't want to clean it." Amelia chuckled, looking around.

Elena laughed as well, sharing a smile with her friends.

Stefan and Damon were talking outside on the porch. "You really think Bonnie can take on Klaus?" Stefan asked him skeptically.

"She said she could channel enough witches' power to kill him." Damon said, looking at Amelia's crappy, beaten up car.

"Elijah thought that would work." Stefan said. "And, he was an Original so…" He trailed off, following Damon's gaze. "I think we need to get Amelia on board. The more help, the better."

"Uh, no, no, no, no, no." Damon protested. "Bonnie's fine, Stefan. She already has the help of a hundred witches - one more, slightly damaged witch isn't going to help much. Besides, the witches kicked her out of the house. They think she's unnatural. Who's to say they won't let Bonnie channel them if they find out Amelia's helping?" He argued practically, not wanting to put her in danger. Damon sighed. "We just need to find them."

"Yeah." Stefan agreed quietly.

"Could they do one of those witch tracking spells?" Damon asked.

"Nope. Not without something that belongs to Klaus." Stefan replied. "Believe me, I already asked Bonnie." He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning against the porch.

Damon frowned. "I know for a fact that Amelia has been able to track me and Caroline down a few times with her mind - no spell needed." He explained.

"Well, I think that's because she's close to you. I doubt she'd be able to do it with someone she's never met before." Stefan guessed.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Damon sighed, leaning against the porch railing as well. They were quiet for a moment. "Do you think he killed her?" He asked eventually, thinking about the woman he had loved for almost a century and a half…

Stefan turned to look at him. "Katherine?" He asked, confused.

Damon looked at him and said nothing.

"Probably." Stefan guessed.

"It's not like she didn't have it coming." Damon said.

"Yeah." Stefan agreed, standing next to his brother in solidarity.

A few moments later, the door opened and the man from the bank left. "Thank you, Mr. Henry." Elena said, shaking his hand.

The man nodded and smiled at her, walking past the brothers.

Damon and Stefan walked towards the door, pausing at the invisible barrier. Elena turned around, laughing. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot." She said honestly. "Stefan. Would you like to come inside my house?" She asked, a teasing smile on her face.

"I would love to. Thank you." Stefan smiled at Damon tauntingly.

"What are we, twelve?" Damon asked, raising his eyebrows.

"One of us is." Amelia joked from the other side of the barrier, next to Elena.

"_If_ I let you in, do you promise to obey the owner of this house?" Elena asked.

"No." Damon scoffed.

"Seriously, Damon. My way. You promised. I call the shots. No lies, no secret agendas. Remember?" She reminded him.

"Yes, Elena, sure." Damon agreed, leaning against the doorframe.

"The please, come in." Elena invited, gesturing to her house.

"Shut up." Damon murmured to Amelia who was laughing at him.

"Thanks." Elena said as Bonnie handed her coat to her.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" Stefan asked, confused.

"To school." Elena explained.

"Huh?" Stefan asked.

"No, no, no. We didn't create a safe house for you to leave it." Damon emphasized, before turning to Amelia. "Besides, what about you? I thought you were getting your wisdom teeth out today?"

Amelia sighed. "I am, and don't forget you're picking me up at ten, but I have time to go to my first class before the surgery." She explained. "I can't miss anymore school than I have to, seriously."

Damon groaned, "Why're you such a nerd?"

"Guys, Klaus is out there." Stefan interrupted. "We know that."

"Right. But where? No one knows. Look, I really appreciate what you guys are doing. And I'll be able to sleep at night know that I'll be safe here, but I'm not going to be a prisoner." Elena argued.

Damon took a deep breath, annoyed. "Your way, Elena." He agreed.

"Don't worry, I'm ready. If he shows his face, I can take him." Bonnie chimed in. "I know how."

"The way I see it, next to Bonnie is the safest place that I can be." Elena told them, smiling as she gave her friend a side hug.

Amelia frowned, felling horribly guilty that she couldn't help her.

"Come on." Elena gestured.

Stefan scoffed in irritation before sighing. "Wait, I'm coming."

Damon watched the teens go, a sour look on his face.

Matt Donovan knocked on the door vigorously. Liz Forbes, let him inside, a grimace on her face. "Caroline and Amelia left early for school." She told him.

"I know." Matt said. "I came to see you."

Matt set his bag down, walking further inside. "I don't know what to do." He admitted. "What to say, how to act around her."

"You can't let on that you know." Liz insisted.

"She wants me to take her to the dance. What am I suppose to do?" Matt asked.

"Take her to the dance." Liz said.

"I'll never get away with it." Matt insisted. "She knows me too well, she'll figure it out."

Liz sighed, tears burning in the corners of her eyes. "Damn it, Matt, just do it! She's my daughter. She's my baby. I just, I need some time." She insisted.

"I know, but-." Matt began.

Liz interrupted him. "Look, if what Caroline told you is true, she's not the only one - and that means Amelia is a witch for Christ sake! The Salvatore's are vampires. The Gilbert family if in on it. Tyler Lockwood is God knows what."

"A werewolf." Matt interjected.

"There's no one in this town I can trust. I just need to take a beat… and figure out what to do." Liz told him, feeling like she was dying inside as she thought about her daughters.

"I'll never fool her." Matt insisted, shaking his head.

"Yes, you will. As far as she knows, you don't remember anything. Buy me some time, please, Matt." She begged.

They were quiet for a moment.

"Fine, but only if you do something about Amelia first. I can't stand looking at her knowing she murdered my sister." He spat.

Liz nodded and he walked out the door. She broke down in sobs as she slid down the door, thinking about Amelia - her daughter for the past six years.

She pulled out her phone, dialing the number to Amelia's social worker. "Dan? I need your help. It's Amelia. She's out of control."

Amelia was finishing up her history assignment that she had forgotten about when the bell rang and the rest of the class came pouring in. She didn't notice Elena holding up the sixties decade dance flyer to Stefan as he shook his head at her. Elena pouted, but then turned to Bonnie who smiled and nodded. She turned back to Stefan, a smug smile on her face and he took a deep breath, groaning internally.

Alaric walked inside. "Hello, class." He greeted. "Ahem. What… are we learning today?" He asked, flipping through the papers on Ric's desk.

"With the decade dance tonight we've been covering the sixties all week." A girl in the front row piped up.

"Right." Alaric agreed. "The sixties." He paused as he laid eyes on Elena, his precious doppelgänger. He only tore his eyes away from her as his eyes widened in shock. "Rebekah." He whispered, only quiet enough for himself to hear.

Amelia closed her assignment and looked up, frowning as she saw Ric looking at her strangely.

Alaric shook his head, realizing that this was that Amelia Whitmore girl - not Rebekah. They only looked remarkably similar.

"The, uh, ahem… the sixties… I wish there was something good I could say about the sixties, but, actually, they kind of sucked." He chuckled. "Except for The Beatles, of course. They made it bearable. Uh, what else was there? The cuban missile thing, the, uh, we walked on the moon! There was Watergate…"

"Watergate was the seventies, Ric." Amelia piped up, smiling at him. "I-I mean, Mr. Saltzman."

"Right, it all kind of mushes together up here, the sixties, the seventies. Thank you, Amelia."

"Woah, easy there, girl." Damon soothed, helping Amelia stand up from the couch.

"I'm fine, Damon." Amelia mumbled, the gauze pads in her mouth muffling her words.

"You just had surgery, little witch, you need a little recovery time." He chuckled, walking behind her as she made her way to the kitchen.

Amelia began laughing as she pulled the gauze out of her mouth and threw them away. "Ha ha ha! I'm a witch, Damon, isn't that so cool?" She laughed, waving her hands in the air and making every object in the kitchen float into the air.

"Woah! Set them down, Amelia, come on, nice and easy." Damon coaxed, thinking about the huge mess he would have to clean up.

"Okay, silly vampire!" She laughed reaching up to feel her cheeks. "Why doesn't my mouth hurt?" She asked, confused. "I don't remember falling asleep, are you sure I had surgery?"

"100% sure, Amelia. Come on, let's go take a nap." He urged, walking her upstairs into her bedroom.

"Hey, Dana!" Caroline greeted, joining her as they decorated for the sixties dance. "Um, can you take care of these?" She asked, handing her a stack of papers.

"Sure." Dana agreed.

"Okay, thank you." Caroline said, smiling at her before walking over to Matt. "Hi." She greeted, chuckling as he leaned down to kiss her. "What was that for?" She asked cheerfully.

"Just, practicing for tonight." Matt insisted.

"Oh." Caroline laughed, leaning in to kiss him again.

"So, I found a suit. If you still want me to be JFK tonight." Matt said.

"Perfect." Caroline agreed.

Inside, Jeremy was following Bonnie around. "Did you tell Elena what it's going to take for you to do that Klaus spell?" He asked.

"No, and you're not either." Bonnie insisted.

"Well, she's gotta know you can't do it." Jeremy argued. "Her and Amelia."

"You don't know I can't." Bonnie protested. "Have a little faith in me."

"That's not fair. You can't harness the power of a hundred dead witches - it'll kill you." Jeremy said, sitting down next to her.

"Shh! We don't know that for certain." Bonnie said, looking around to make sure no one had heard him. "You promised to keep my secret, I'm trusting you. I'm going through with this, and if you tell anyone, I swear-."

"What? What are you gonna do?" Jeremy asked.

Just then, Elena walked over to them. "Hey, Jer. How you doing? Are you okay? At the house alone with John?" She asked.

"It's not ideal." Jeremy responded, looking at Bonnie.

"You haven't heard from Jenna, have you?" Elena asked, a lunch tray in her hands.

"It looks like she's staying on campus." Jeremy told her, standing up and gathering his bag. "Look, I'm, uh, I'm late for class." He lied, walking off.

Elena sat down next to her friend, grimacing. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I told him he had to dress up tonight and he got all uptight." Bonnie lied.

"Oh." Elena chuckled, nodding her head. That did sound like Jeremy.

"How do you think Amelia's doing?" Bonnie asked, concerned for her friend.

"Um, well, Damon texted me and said she's doing okay. Just that she's a little loopy on the medication they gave her." Elena chuckled.

"Hey, Elena." Dana greeted, walking over to them."There you are. Okay. This is going to sound freaky, but this totally hot guy just asked me to ask you if you're going to the dance tonight."

Elena laughed nervously, surprised.

"Tell him she has a boyfriend." Bonnie said, frowning.

"You could at least meet him." Dana insisted. "He'll be at the dance tonight. Look for him, his name is Klaus."

Elena frowned, shock overtaking her. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?" She asked.

"His name's Klaus? I know the name's stupid, but I swear, he's hot." Dana insisted.

"Where is he, is he here?" Bonnie asked, looking around as she played along.

"I don't know." Dana realized.

"She's been compelled." Bonnie murmured to Elena.

"But he wants to know if you'll save him the last dance. How cute is that?" Dana asked.

"So, we go to the dance, we find him." Damon concluded, on speaker phone as he sat next to Amelia in her bedroom.

"Really how are we gonna do that?" Stefan asked, his voice coming from the phone. "We don't even know what he looks like."

"Something tells me he's not going to be sixteen and pimply." Damon said.

"He could be anywhere, at anytime. He compelled somebody at school." Stefan argued, turning to look at Elena and Bonnie. "I guess it's not a safe as you guys thought, huh?"

There was a knock at the door and Alaric walked inside.

"There you are." Stefan greeted.

Damon frowned. "There who is?"

"It's me - Ric!" Alaric… Klaus greeted awkwardly. "Sorry I'm late."

"Hey, I need you to put Damon down as a chaperone at the dance tonight. Klaus made his first move." Stefan told him.

"Um, what? No, I can't, I'm on Amelia baby-sitting duty, remember?" Damon protested.

Amelia removed the icepack from her sore face. "No, guys, this is way more important, seriously. And I feel fine now, the drugs have worn off." She insisted.

"Are you sure?" Damon murmured, running a hand through her hair.

"Yes, Damon. I need you to protect my friends." She said, giving him a small, painful smile.

"Okay, so we find him and then what, hm?" Elena asked. "What's our plan of attack?"

"Me." Bonnie piped up. "I'm the plan. He has no idea how much power I can channel. If you can find him, I can kill him."

Klaus looked at her warily from Alaric's body. "It's not going to be that easy." He chuckled. "I mean, he is the biggest, baddest vampire around." He boasted, the thought of these weakling trying to kill him making him laugh.

"Alaric has a point. I mean, what if he-." Stefan began, before running at bonnie, testing her reflexes.

Bonnie raised a hand and sent him stumbling back. Elena stood up in surprise. "Well, I was impressed." Stefan nodded, standing up painfully.

"It doesn't matter if he's an Original. I can take down anyone who comes at me." Bonnie told them, turning to look at her friend. "I can kill him, Elena." Elena nodded. "I know I can."

Amelia was in the shower, trying to ignore her sore mouth as she worried about her friends. _Why, why why did she have to have surgery at the most inconvenient time?_

Downstairs, Liz had just walked inside when Caroline walked past the door, turning as she heard it opening. She fixed her black gloves as she turned around. "There you are! You almost missed me." Caroline pouted in her pink outfit for the dance. "How do I look?" She asked, twirling around.

"Jackie O'?" Liz asked.

Caroline giggled. "Duh."

"You look good." Liz said, smiling sadly at her as she thought about Amelia upstairs.

"Thanks." Caroline said sincerely, playing with her pearl necklace.

Liz held her breath as Caroline approached her. "Is everything okay?" Caroline asked, confused.

"Ugh, just some work stress." Liz lied.

Caroline nodded. "Well, you work too much."

Just then, Matt knocked on the door. Caroline took a deep breath before opening it for him. "Mr. President." She greeted.

"Hey." Matt said.

"Hi." Caroline smiled, trying to kiss him.

"Woah." Matt chuckled, looking over at her mom. "Sheriff." He greeted.

"Hehe, sorry." Caroline laughed nervously.

"Have fun." Liz called, sharing a look with Matt as they left.

"We will." Caroline promised.

Tears began rolling down Liz's face as she went upstairs and gathered all of Amelia's bags at the front door that she had been packing hurriedly while she was in the shower.

She took a deep breath and wiped her face as she heard the knock at her door.

"Dan. Thanks for coming." She greeted, clearing her throat as she opened the door for him.

"Of course, Liz. Is Amelia ready?" He asked, looking upstairs.

"Uhm, about that. I-I just haven't gotten around to quite telling her yet… It's been so hard with all of the partying and the alcohol and the drugs…" She lied, using her cover story.

"I understand. Maybe I should go talk to her?" Dan suggested.

Liz nodded, following him up the stairs.

Amelia had just gotten dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in the bathroom when she walked into her room - shocked to find it mostly empty. She turned around in surprise to see Dan, her social worker, and Liz standing behind him.

"Mom? What's going?" Amelia asked, frightened as as sinking feeling rose up inside of her stomach.

Liz shook her head sadly. "You must have known this day was coming, Amelia." She insisted. "What with all of the… extracurricular activities you've been engaging in." She said sadly, giving her a pointed look as she thought about the vampires.

Amelia's eyes widened as she realized Liz had somehow found out that she was a witch. That she hung around vampires.

Dan shook his head at her sadly. "Partying? The drugs, the drinking? What's gotten into you, Amelia? I thought you liked it here." He said, walking closer to her, looking at her like she was some sort of wild animal.

Amelia felt her breathing speed up. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, please, don't take me away!" She pleaded, feeling panicked.

"I'm so sorry, Amelia." Liz cried, bursting into tears. "I just can't handle this anymore… can't handle _you_ anymore. The kind of person that you are… It's… _unnatural_."

Amelia clutched at the pain in her chest, nodding as she felt her whole world fall apart.

Flashbacks of this very same moment happening to her throughout the years travelled through her head, but it had never hurt as much as it did now. This was suppose to be her forever home.

Amelia was a mess as she climbed into the back seat of Dan's car, thinking about the many times she had done this same thing as a child. Liz and Dan packed her bags into the trunk before Liz walked away, refusing to say goodbye.

"M-my car?" Amelia asked as Dan climbed inside.

"It'll be returned to you in time." Dan said vaguely.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, feeling like she was dying as she watched her home disappear from sight. She reached in her pockets for her phone - Liz's phone - but realized it must be left in her room… Liz's room, not hers.

"An emergency foster group home a few towns over. You'll be safe there." Dan promised, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror.

Amelia stared outside miserably as the trees blurred past her, tears falling down her face.

"Damon." Bonnie greeted, stepping out of Jeremy's arms outside of the high school.

"Evenin'… Hey, you haven't heard from Amelia, have you? She isn't answering my texts…" Damon asked.

Bonnie shook her head and watched as he entered the dance.

"Hey, you two." Elena greeted, walking up to them with Stefan. "Oh, you look nice." Elena complimented, gesturing to Bonnie's bright, flowery dress.

Bonnie hugged her friend. "You too."

"You guys ready to do this?" Stefan asked warily.

The group exchanged looks before going inside of the dance.

The slow song was interrupted when Dana grabbed the mic. "Thanks for being here everybody." She called.

The crowd turned towards her and began cheering and clapping.

"We have a special shout-out tonight. This is for Elena… from Klaus." Dana announced as the crowd clapped.

"That was a lame cheap-shot." Damon complained. "He's just trying to bait us."

"I know everyone here." Elena said.

"Maybe he's not here." Stefan suggested hopefully. "Just wants us to believe that he is."

"It's a party people, blend. Let him come to us." Damon said.

"Good idea." Bonnie said, grabbing Jeremy and beginning to pull him away.

"No, no, I really don't feel like dancing…" Jeremy protested.

"Too bad." Bonnie said.

"There's Ric." Damon said. "I'll be back."

Stefan reached out his hand to Elena and the pair began reluctantly dancing.

"Jeremy!" Stefan called after the teen who was walking through the hallway by himself. "What are you doing?" He asked as he caught up to him. "Elena thinks we should stick together."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've got my ring." Jeremy said.

They were quiet for a moment as Jeremy looked to the floor. "It's Bonnie." He admitted suddenly.

"What is it?" Stefan asked. "Hey, you got something on your mind, spit it out."

"If Bonnie takes on Klaus, channeling all that energy's gonna kill her." Jeremy admitted finally.

"What?" Stefan asked, shocked.

"But she doesn't want Elena to know, 'cause if Elena's knows, she's gonna try to stop her." Jeremy explained, sighing. "And it's Elena that could turn up dead, so… What am I supposed to do?" Jeremy asked, feeling desperate.

"I need to talk to you." Elena insisted, tugging on Bonnie's sleeve.

"Come here, come here." Stefan said angrily as he tugged Damon away from the group of teenage girls he was dancing with. "Tell me you didn't know Bonnie was on a suicide mission."

"Oh, great. Jeremy told you, and of course you told Elena." Damon realized.

"Yeah, I told her. You promised her no more secrets." Stefan reminded him.

"I changed my mind." Damon drawled, annoyed.

"How could you not tell me?" Elena demanded outside.

"Because I knew how you'd react." Bonnie insisted.

"No way, it's not an option." Elena declared.

"It's our only option." Bonnie reminded her.

"Then we'll find another way, okay?" Elena disagreed. "Bonnie, you're not dying to save my life." She whispered.

"I have the power to save you! If I don't use it and something happens, that would kill me more." Bonnie answered.

"I can't let you." Elena said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Just answer one question - if the situation was reversed, would you do it for me?" Bonnie asked.

Elena took a deep breath and didn't respond.

"So you know why I have to." Bonnie told her.

Elena shook her head, at a loss for words. "No." She said simply. "No!" She said more firmly.

Jeremy was walking by himself through the halls when three male teens appeared in front of him. "What's going on, guys?" Jeremy asked.

"You okay, Gilbert? You don't look so good." The teen in the white jacket said.

"Dude, seriously? Wrong day, wrong guy." Jeremy said, irritated.

The three teens began attacking him - grabbing him and punching him before throwing him on the ground and kicking him.

"Hey, idiots!" Damon called as he and Stefan ran towards them. He was surprised when one whipped out a crossbow and fire it at him. "Ahh." Damon groaned as the stake landed in his shoulder. "Let me guess - Klaus says hi?"

Stefan raced forward and knocked out two of them while Damon grabbed onto the boy who had staked him.

"No, no, no, no, don't kill him. He's been compelled." Stefan insisted.

"So?" Damon asked, irritated.

"So, the whole thing's a distraction. Go find Bonnie and Elena. I've got this. Go." Stefan demanded.

Damon sighed but threw the boy into a set of lockers before running out of the hall.

Outside, Alaric ran up to Elena and Bonnie. "Elena! He has Jeremy."

"What?"

"What?"

"Yeah, Klaus has Jeremy, come on."

Bonnie and Elena exchanged a panicked look before running after Ric, who was actually Klaus in disguise.

"Okay, so where are you taking us?" Elena asked.

"Just a little further." Alaric said, jogging further into the school.

"Wait, something's not right." Elena realized shaking her head.

"Where's Jeremy?" Bonnie demanded.

Alaric chuckled, coming to a halt. "I just had to get away from that dance. The sixties, ugh. Not my decade." He said, turning around to face the girls. "I mean, whose call was that, anyway? I much prefer the twenties. The style, the parties, the jazz."

"Alaric." Elena said slowly. "Are you on vervain?" She asked, confused.

Alaric froze in his tracks. "Now, why would you ask me that question, Elena?" He asked, smirking at her.

"He's being compelled." Elena insisted.

"Nope, try again." Alaric boomed, laughing.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked, standing in front of Elena protectively.

Alaric sighed, annoyed. "Okay, I'll give you a hint. I am not Alaric."

"Klaus." Elena whispered, terrified.

A huge grin broke over Alaric… Klaus' face. "Surprise!" He yelled.

"Oh, no." Elena said, shaking her head. "No, it's not possible."

"Just relax, Elena. I'm not here to hurt you." Klaus promised. "You're not on my hit list tonight." He turned to look at Bonnie. "But you are."

He tried to run at her, but Bonnie flung him across the room and he landed in a heap, bouncing off of lockers, groaning in pain. He stood up, laughing. "Now, did I mention, that I know a witch? You're gonna have to hit me a lot harder than that." He chuckled, running at her again.

Bonnie, again, flung him away from them and watched as he went crashing into the trophy case, glass shattering all over the floor.

Klaus laughed. "By all means… fire away! If you kill this body, I'll just get another one." He promised, slowly standing up. "Maybe Jeremy."

"Go, run." Bonnie told Elena. "Run!"

The girls ran in their heels throughout the halls, quick breaths escaping their chests. Bonnie turned and flung the doors shut behind them as Damon appeared next to them. "What happened?" He asked, holding his arms out in confusion.

"K-Klaus is in Alaric's body." Elena explained breathlessly.

"What?" Damon asked, shocked.

"He's possessing it, or something." Bonnie said.

"Go find Stefan. Now." Damon told Elena.

Elena nodded. "Okay."

"Now!" Damon emphasized, and Elena took off running.

"Can you kill him?" Damon asked, leaning next to Bonnie.

"He's got some kind of protection spell on him." Bonnie explained.

"You have the power of a hundred witches. Break it!" Damn insisted.

"I'm trying. If I kill Alaric, he'll just posses someone else. He knows I have my power, Damon. He's trying to kill me." Bonnie explained.

Damon shook his head. "No. Klaus does not get to win tonight, no way." He insisted. "You still willing to do whatever it takes to kill him?" He asked her.

A hardened expression grew on Bonnie's face as she nodded confidently, concocting a plan with Damon.

Bonnie walked through the halls, eventually walking into the cafeteria where Klaus was waiting for her, leaning back in his chairs with a knife in his hand. "What took you so long?" He taunted. "Now, do you want to do this, the, uh, easy way or the hard way?"

Bonnie glared at him and twisted her wrist, causing his wrist to contract and distort painfully in the wrong direction. "Argh!" He groaned, clutching his hand before snapping it back into place. "The hard way. Got it." Bonnie reached a hand out to him and his shoulder distorted, popping out of place as he groaned. "What? You'd kill your favorite history teacher?" He taunted, readjusting his shoulder.

"It's what Alaric would want." Bonnie promised. "And he'd want you to suffer first."

"Look at you." Klaus taunted, seeing the blood dripping from her nose. She wiped it away. "Is that all you got?" He asked.

"Let's find out." Bonnie taunted.

Elena and Stefan were running through the halls together when they found Damon.

"There you are." Damon greeted.

"What're you doing? Where's Bonnie?" Elena questioned, looking around for her.

"She's doing what she has to do." Damon insisted.

"What?!" Elena asked.

"Where is she?" Stefan demanded.

"Stefan, let her do this." Damon pleaded.

"Damn it, Damon, where is she?!" Stefan yelled.

Bonnie had a lot of blood dripping down her face as the lights flickered and she inflicted more and more pain unto Klaus. Flyers flew off the the bulletin boards and whirled all around the cafeteria.

Elena and Stefan finally found Bonnie, but she flung her hands out, forcing the doors shut so they couldn't get in. "Bonnie, no!" Elena screamed, pounding on the doors. Even Stefan couldn't open them.

Klaus lay on the floor, writhing in pain as Bonnie gave it everything she had.

Bonnie shared one last, longing look with Elena before every light in the room exploded and she crumbled to the floor.

"No!" Elena screamed. She pushed the doors open and ran to her. "Oh, Bonnie!" She cried as Klaus disappeared. "Bonnie, Bonnie, hey, hey! Stefan, she's not breathing. Stefan! Stefan, I can't find her pulse! Stefan, do something, please. Stefan, please! Just give her blood, do something, please!" Elena cried, kneeling over her friend.

"It's too late." Stefan told her quietly, feeling horrible. "I'm sorry."

Elena shook her head vigorously. "No! No. No, no, no, no, no!" She wiped at her face angrily. "Bonnie! Bonnie, please, no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" She sobbed.

Damon walked into the room quietly. "Stefan, get Elena out of here." He requested. "I'll deal with the body."

Stefan stood up and Elena looked up at Damon. "What do you mean, deal with it?" Elena demanded.

Damon rushed forward, trying to pick up Bonnie, but Elena wouldn't let him. "The Sheriff can't know about this. Last thing we need's another mysterious death." He said ruthlessly.

"This is Bonnie!" Elena screamed.

"Get her home." Damon commanded, looking at his little brother. "Now." He made a gesture to Bonnie. "Do I can clean this up." He murmured.

"Hey, hey, hey." Stefan soothed. "Hey, hey, hey." He hugged her, trying to lift her to her feet.

"No. Jeremy. Oh, my God, Jeremy. What about Jeremy?" Elena pleaded as Stefan lifted her up.

"I'll find him." Damon promised.

"No!" Elena screamed, sobbing as Stefan led her away.

Damon reached down and gently closed Bonnie Bennett's eyes, grateful that Amelia was safe and sound in her home tonight and hadn't had to bare witness to what had just happened.

Damon had just placed the witch in his car and shut the trunk when Jeremy came running over to him. "Damon! Hey, I got your message, I can't find anyone. Where's Elena? Where's Bonnie?" He asked coming to a halt next to the vampire.

"We need to have a little talk." Damon told him quietly.

Elena was shivering as she sat next to the fireplace inside of the Salvatore Boarding House.

Stefan approached her gently. "Hey." He whispered, handing her a cup. "Here, drink this."

Elena shook her head. "I can't." She said.

"Yeah. Yeah, you can." Stefan told her. "Please, just drink this." He knelt down beneath her, wrapping her small hands around the warm mug.

Elena tried to control her breathing as she took a small sip of the warm tea. "This is my fault." Elena sobbed, taking the cup away from her lips.

"No, no, no, no, no." Stefan soothed. "No, hey. This was Klaus. Listen to me. Klaus did this."

Elena shook her head and looked up as Damon entered.

"What did you do with her?" Elena demanded, standing up shakily. She set the cup down.

"Will you please calm her down?" Damon asked Stefan.

"Don't talk like I'm not standing right in front of you!" Elena yelled.

Damon reached his hands out in front of him. "Please, calm down." Damon pleaded.

"You knew didn't you? You knew that if she harnessed all that power, that she would die, didn't you?" Elena demanded.

"Yes." Damon said bluntly. "Yes, I knew."

"Guh!" Elena yelled, reaching her hand back and slapping him hard across the face.

Stefan watched quietly behind her, blinking away tears as he felt her sorrow.

"You need to listen to me, and prepare for what I'm about to say." Damon instructed, trying to calm himself down. "Bonnie had to die. Klaus using Alaric's body was a total surprise. She wasn't prepared for that. And he wasn't going to stop and we weren't going to be able to stop him until he knew she was dead. He had to believe it."

Elena gasped as a small flicker of hope rose up inside of her.

Inside of the witch house, Jeremy sat next to Bonnie who was surrounded by candles. She opened her eyes and smiled as Jeremy ran over to her. "Hey, hey, hey!" Jeremy greeted happily, laughing as he pulled her into a hug. "Come here."

"She cast a spell. Bonnie's okay." Damon explained, turning to leave.

Stefan followed after him. "You know, you could have told me." He insisted.

Damon turned to look at him, just in front of the entrance. "How do I know when you're going to go blabbing things to your girlfriend?" He asked.

"You even understand what you put her through?" Stefan asked.

"See, that's why I didn't tell you." Damon explained, annoyed. "'Cause you would have never been able to do it. Don't get me wrong, Stefan. I don't mind being the bad guy. I'll make all the life and death decisions while you're busy worrying about collateral damage. I'll even let my friends hate me for it." Damon said, pointing his head to the living room where Elena was still trying to pull herself together. "But at the end of the day, I'll be the one to keep them alive… to keep Amelia alive." He promised. He frowned as his phone began to ring.

"Ugh, what is it, Caroline?" Damon asked, annoyed.

"Damon? Please, you have to come over here, it's Amelia." Caroline sobbed, clutching at the phone.

"What is it? What happened?" Damon demanded, feeling his body grow cold.

"God, Damon, oh, my God, Amelia…" She sobbed, trying to catch her breath.

"Caroline!" Damon yelled, panicked.

"They took her Damon - she's gone. The State came in an-and they just took her! All of her stuff, i-it's just gone!" She cried.

Damon and Stefan shared a wide eyed glance as Damon snapped his phone shut and ran to the Forbes' home.

As soon as he got there, he let himself in and came face to face with a teary eyed Liz. "What happened, Liz? Where is she?" He asked.

Liz shook her head, grimacing. "She's gone, Damon."

Damon looked into her eyes, trying to compel her. "Where is she?"

"I-I don't know." Liz said honestly, terrified of the vampire in front of her.

Amelia had her school bag slung over her shoulder as she looked at the group of girls staring her down in the group home. Her other two, meager, bags were at her feet as Dan stood next to her.

"Girls, this is Amelia Whitmore. She's going to be staying with us for a little while." The house mother, Mrs. Jones, explained, pointing at the puffy faced blonde.

The room was silent besides the whispers that the girls exchanged. "Girls!" Mrs. Jones boomed, causing Amelia to flinch in fright.

"Hi, Amelia." The girls droned, dully, all in their pajamas as they wanted to go back to bed.

"Better." Mrs. Jones said, pointing to the girl farthest to the left. "Why don't you say your name and tell Amelia a little about yourselves?" She asked, even though it was really a question.

The skinny, dark haired girl with the heavy eye makeup (did she sleep with it on?) sighed and continued chewing on her gum but glanced over at Amelia. "Hi, I'm Kylie. Um, I got thrown in here 'cause, like, my foster parents weren't cool with my self harm, and, uh, I've been here for three weeks?" She guessed.

Amelia gave her a small smile, shocked by how open she was about it before looking at the next girl. This one what tall with broad shoulders and light brown hair. She had thick eyebrows and a glare on her face. "I'm Becky." She said, her low voice hard to hear.

"And?" Mrs. Jones prompted.

"And… I'm here because my foster parents caught me using steroids to be better at softball." Becky admitted, rolling her eyes.

The next girl had dark skin and was short and busty. He curly dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "I'm Felicia, and I've been here for a few months. I'm here because I got pregnant and now my daughter is in the foster system too." Her high voice shrilled.

The girl to the right had blonde hair and was tall and skinny. She looked like a supermodel. "I'm Taylor. I've only been in the foster system for a few years. I-I got sent away for eating disorders and I just got back from rehab. I've only been here a few days." She said quietly, looking embarrassed.

Amelia looked at the last girl who had dark hair and glasses. She was short and voluptuous, a lone pimple on her forehead, but she was definitely pretty.. "I'm Courtney." She grunted, glaring at her.

"And?" Mrs. Jones prompted, giving her a dark look.

"And I'm here because my foster parents were assholes." Courtney seethed.

"Courtney." Mrs. Jones scolded.

"Okay, I'm here because my foster parents caught me making out with their teenage daughter." She admitted, laughing at the surprised look on Amelia's face. "What, never met a dyke before?"

Amelia felt her face heat up and shook her head. "No, it's not that. It's just that you're all so open… I'm just surprised." She said quietly.

"So, Amy, why don't you tell us a little about yourself?" Mrs. Jones requested.

"Um, it's Amelia, or just Lia, please." Amelia requested softly, thinking about her father who had always called her Amy. "Um, so, I'm Amelia, and I bounced around in the system for a little while before living with my foster mom for the past six years… until now. And here I am."

"Watchu here for?" Kylie asked her bluntly, smacking her gum between her lips.

"I-I'm here because my mom woke up and decided she didn't want me anymore." Amelia admitted.

"Lia, be honest." Dan scolded, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"Okay." Amelia took a deep breath. "I'm here because I fell in love with a serial killer."

**A/N: WOAH! Craziness! Can't wait for the next chapter! **


End file.
